Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I am Won KIM, voicing Pastor Caleb Soo Lee Chong. Shalom.  Today, we’ll carry on to talk about “Leadership View of a Disciple”. What important qualities should a leader possess? I have listed six of them here. Which one do you think has the closest direct links with the spiritual authority of a person? 

1. Thorough grasp of biblical Truths;

2. Living a good spiritual and moral life;

3. Blessed with leadership gifts;

4. Conferred with special skills such as healing and preaching;

5. Possess intelligent and expedient organizational skills

6. High emotional intelligence, excellent human skills

Answers may vary from person to person. Generally speaking, it is not uncommon for charismatic church leaders to establish their authority by having special skills or extraordinary gifts (as in healing and prophesying). Within worldly groups, the authority wielded by many leaders is derived from their outstanding organizational talents and soft skills. However, we believe that a person’s spiritual authority within the church should spring from his leading a good life in both spiritual and daily lives. Needless to say, his toolbox must include indispensables like biblical knowledge, grounding in theology and basic leadership skills.

Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray that our Heavenly Father calls upon those He wants to carry out the work. God will call them as He confers gifts, and tools upon these persons He wants to use. All these tools come from God, and their proper use is rooted upon a proper relationship with Him in addition to an appropriate spiritual life. One may have a PhD, gift of preaching, healing…under his belt, but in the absence of a bountiful spiritual life, all of these may just lead him down the precipice into self-conceit and possible destruction. May our Heavenly Father remind our leaders to fear God and forge excellent personal relationships with Him.

The Lust for Power

Now, let us read another bible verse on becoming good Christian leaders. In the Bible in the book of Mark chapter 9 verses 33-37 records an argument between the disciples on their way about who was the greatest. Why were they arguing over this at a time when they were following Jesus? Haven’t they dedicated themselves to the LORD and let go of everything? Why are they fighting over power, as they argued about who was the greatest amongst them? Do you see the lust for power beckoning at them?

The Way Lust for Power Works

Dear brothers and sisters, the quest for power could be rooted in the desire to make comparisons. Each disciple may see himself as most important when they were spending time together. Peter said, “I am the spokesman most of the time; this shows that I am the “greatest.” Andrew might have shot back, “It should be me, because I was the first one to follow the Lord.” Judas could have chipped in, saying, “I am the treasurer who carries the moneybag, and so I am second only to Jesus. Indeed, you can’t do without me!”

Making such comparisons within one’s own kind clearly shows the sinful nature of Man even as he pursues false glory. The American Reformed theologian Karl Niebuhr (1892–1971) labelled it as “the will to power or lust for power.” Very often an indescribable “sense of satisfaction” wells up within the person when he is honorably addressed or seen to be great – the lust for power rearing up its ugly head for all to see.

The pages of history are splashed with names of people fighting for power.  This has not stopped, even today. Why are so many people driven by the lust for power?

#1: Power can satisfy human pride

Man has this constant desire to rise above his identity as a created being. We see how Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden was driven by lust for such power to “get there”. Adam and Eve were not satisfied with their positions and identities accorded them by God. The serpent (the Devil) said, “…and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” This is identified with a heart of pride. Adam and Eve were dying to be something above what God had done for them i.e., to go for and know more. They felt discontented to be mere constrained “underlings”. Alas, that was when the Fall began to unwind. Even today, there are still lots of people around yearning to be the “superman” as a result from their game of one-upmanship.

#2: Power provides man with a sense of security

As some would believe: “Once I hold the reins of power, I can take charge of others, control everything, even their fate.”

When a person feels insecure or even threatened in a group or society at large, he would try various ways and means to use what he has in hand to acquire power or to overcome or get rid of the source of such threats. I will be safe once I put him under my thumb! Isn’t it power that has enabled me to put down other contenders? I am now holding the top post; who can sack me? I am the boss in control here; power is truly attractive, isn’t it?

However, the irony is that no one can free himself from fear and insecurity, never mind what influence and power he had garnered over the years.

Niebuhr highlighted this in his time, saying: the greater the power and glory a man enjoys, the more he lives in fear of failure – or if that were to take place, whether he could ever recover from such adversity. For now, he may try to cannibalize his competitors to protect his own interests. Alternatively, he may also attempt to expand his business to gain more control and influence. Dear brothers and sisters, we see how greed has pushed a man into this terrible impasse!

The Old Testament records that Saul was holding the power of kingship when he disliked David. He was jealous and fearful that David might take over the throne one day. Indeed, he would rather see David dead than seeing power slipping from between his own fingers. History is constantly being repeated with similar plots, not just in political arenas, but within church circles as well. This calls for every one of us to stay vigilant!

The Leadership View of Jesus Christ

Next, let’s look into how Jesus views leadership, as we unwrap two passages from the Bible. What stands out in His views?

From the Bible in the book of Mark chapter 10 verses 42-45

42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Dear brothers and sisters, Mark has unveiled an image of a servant-leader. The leader here does not use his authority to gun down, control or rule over others, unlike the gentiles or other worldly folks around us. That is what those serving the Lord in church should take after, and work amongst fellow believers in a servant-like manner. It is the most effective means to defeat the lust for power.

Dear brothers and sisters, I can still humble myself to do the work of a servant when I possess knowledge, wealth and enjoy a high stature. By so doing, I am waging a relentless but subconscious battle against my old self that craves for others to pay me respect, place me on a high pedestal and comply with my wishes in a fawning manner. As St. Bernard of Clairvanx (1090, - 1153) once put it, “Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet (or spiritual leader), what you need is not a sceptre but a hoe.” What he was trying to put across was this: A church leader should be a leader who does not resort to wield the sceptre of authority to perform his duties. He should, instead, work with his own hands to serve the flock as a diligent farmer would till his fields with a hoe. That is the style of a servant-leader.

In the Bible in the book of Matthew chapter 20 verses 20-23

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

Here, Matthew outlined the traits of a leader who is willing to suffer and pay the price. These disciples are jostling among themselves to be the “greatest” while the mother of Zebedee’s sons had come to Jesus with her sons to beg for a favourable position on their behalf. Her request, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.” 

Her intention was to put them in high positions that come with great authority. But Jesus asked them, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” This “cup” refers obviously to sorrow, sufferings, even insults, shame and abandonment that he would go through as he was hung on the cross to die an excruciating death.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are here to serve God during our short sojourn on this earth. To this end, we must be prepared to suffer for Him and present ourselves as a living sacrifice. This cup of bitterness cannot be avoided. Of course, this does not mean that fellow-believers of the church are to pile their miseries on our church leaders, including the pastor, for no rhyme or reason. These leaders are drinking from the cup in response to the sovereign decisions made by God. They have prepared to accept that; the cup is not something for us to pass on to them. Hence, do bear this in mind: you are to take care of your pastor and other church leaders, and not to exasperate them in a deliberate manner as they worry day and night for you.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is the leadership view of a disciple as taught by Jesus – a suffering servant-leader, as Jesus Christ was, during his time with us. May God help us, Amen!

Let’s pray

Dear Heavenly Father,

We thank you for calling us and empowering us to serve you well; we thank you for providing us with adequate gifts and life to drink from the cup of bitterness that awaits us along the way.  

May God help us to learn from Paul to be contented, leaning on you to emerge victorious in everything we do, whether we come under circumstances that are easy or tough, in want or in wealth. May God help us to glorify your Holy Name in everything we do, become your faithful servant and go through hard times with a willing heart. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Recommendations by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong

The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” by Rev. Dr Caleb SOO Lee Chong are worthy books to edify disciples. In order to minimize differences in the qualities amongst Christians, our churches need to set up basic courses to address these issues. In turn, this will enable all disciples to incorporate their faith into their lives and allow changes to take place through renewal of minds. May God make use of these basic courses to edify more disciples to strengthen His soldiers and claim victory on His battle-ground!

The three books “The Gospel for the Modern Man”, “Faith of the Modern Believer” and “Values for the Modern Disciple” are suitable course materials for anyone who wish to acquire understanding of the Christian faith in a more comprehensive manner. The contents are easy to grasp and relate to the real world that we are living in. They are written with an eye for the man-in-the-street and explore how to make our faith come alive in our daily social interactions.

In particular, these are suitable if you  

1. are someone who wants to understand the Christian faith or,

2. are someone who has just accepted the Christian faith or,

3. have been a Christian for many years but still hungering for a firmer grounding in the faith or,

4. are a pastor or co-worker who plans to use these materials for teaching purposes.

If you need to take up learning or use these materials in a systematic manner, please us contact at this email address.：[email protected]