Understanding Biblical Leadership

Greetings, my friend,

Welcome to The Arsenal, your weekly newsletter designed to train and equip you for living a set-apart lifestyle.

I’ve talked a lot through this newsletter about pursuing your God-given calling as the primary purpose of wanting to rebuild yourself from the ground up and reach your maximum potential as a person. And that calling looks different for everyone, hence one of the reasons why Scripture collectively defines us believers as a Body, which contains many different parts, each with a different function. While some are considered more important than others, all of them are required for us to survive and/or live healthy, fulfilling lives.

As for your role in the Body, perhaps you’ve been called to serve in a leadership position within your communities, whether it be at home, on the job, in ministry, or anywhere else. If so, I want to ask you a question to set the tone: When you think of the word “boss,” the most common alternative term for a leader, does it stir up a positive or negative connotation in your mind?

 For many, and perhaps you too, this connotation is negative overall. And here’s why: Many leaders don’t actually lead or even know how to. Due to our prideful nature as human beings, many people in a leadership position, especially within a company or organization, develop entitlement and feel like they shouldn’t have to do the same work of their “subordinates” because they earned their position. They also may believe their only job is to make sure everyone does things the way they think should be done and that it’s their way or the highway.

As a result, micro-management, unrealistic workloads, continual criticism, and close mindedness can enter the scene, and this often results in friction between employer and employee, as well as internal frustration and demoralization on the employee’s end. And now, you have a lose-lose situation: The boss is frustrated things aren’t getting done the exact way they prefer (or even at all), and the employee is frustrated with their boss for their behavior and wants to do anything but what their boss asks of them. They cancel each other out, and dysfunction now runs amuck.

So, what does it truly mean to lead? Surely there has to be a better way than the dynamic I just described that’s not intended yet is present among many groups and organizations, creating the negative connotation many people have surrounding the word “boss” or “leader.” Let’s take a look at three examples from the instruction manual our infinitely wise and wonderful God wrote for us to live by:

· Joshua, son of Nun – Despite being placed in charge of all the Israelites and leading them into the Promised Land, we see that Joshua himself not only led the charge against the pagan nations occupying the Land, but Joshua himself was also on the front lines alongside the rest of Israel’s army and did much of the fighting himself. He also did his part in encouraging the people in battle and setting the precedent for how a true leader should act through his unwavering faith in Yah, commitment to the cause, and courage to take on any challenge set before them

· The Apostle Paul – Like Joshua, Paul, despite his authority within the early church, spent most of his time alongside other disciples of Yeshua on mission trips to spread the Good News, even getting himself thrown in prison and being stoned almost to the point of death multiple times in the process. Paul also helped many different churches align themselves better with Messiah through his letters, which can be found and read in our Bibles today. It’s important to note how through these letters, Paul exercised his authority not in a condescending way, but one that showed obvious love for his brothers and sisters in Yeshua. But at the same time, he firmly challenged them to do better in certain areas. The churches still needed help and correction, after all, and Paul using rhetorical questions, allegories, and metaphors to help explain his points were another example of Paul demonstrating his care for those within the Body to ensure their concerns were addressed and that they understood what they were to do and how to behave as followers of the Messiah.

· Yeshua the Messiah – He’s the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the best example we should strive to imitate. What better example of leadership could we possibly have than Yah in the flesh? During His first visit to this earth, Yeshua gave instruction on everything we needed to know to be restored to right standing before The Father. Additionally, because He knew no sin, He perfectly lived out everything He and His Father commanded us to do and gave us a great example to follow. And most importantly, His level of humbleness and love for those around Him brought Him to willingly give up His very life for all who believe.

These three examples exhibited different qualities of godly leadership for us to follow, but all of them directly counteract what so many of us find toxic within the leadership in our lives. By putting all of these traits together, you get someone who has humbled themselves enough to be right there “in the trenches” alongside you to show how something is done through verbal instruction and visibly showing you how to do it. They also have an unwavering passion and dedication to the overall mission of the team, which is shown in how they give you encouragement but also push you to be your best self along the way. They gladly and patiently answer questions you may have using any means possible to ensure you understand what you’re doing and how to do it effectively. Lastly, you never have to worry about how they feel about you, because you know they would do anything for you should you say the Word.

This is what it means to be a leader, brothers and sisters. The dynamic created by putting these types of people in charge generates respect and efficiency within any type of group attempting to do any type of task. Our world needs more people who will die to themselves daily and swallow their pride for the greater good of those around them and what they’re trying to achieve.

I’ll leave you with this challenge: Even if you never obtain a substantial leadership role at work, lead or facilitate a ministry, etc., become a moral compass and example for those around you, especially for those you don’t know. If you have younger siblings, do you part in sharing wisdom you’ve gained, when appropriate, for when they go through what you have; If someone asks for your help with something at work, in your religious community, or even for a stranger at the grocery store, do your best to make sure their needs are met and then some. And above all, remember:

Behind the Screens: My Weekly Learning

I was reminded of a powerful quote this past weekend which states, “Don’t be bitter, be better.” And when put in a self-improvement context, it can teach us to break a bad habit that I’ve found myself being guilty of several times.

When people make a significant effort to perform a complete 180 and change their lifestyle around from one that was leading them nowhere and doing more harm than good, it’s an eye-opening experience to realize just how much better your life can be and what you’re truly capable of, and that you’re not trapped by your habits, sin, or whatever else may have been holding you back.

But upon my realization of that, which I praise Yah for continually, I’ve noticed that I sometimes would get frustrated with myself or even feel guilty at times for those past habits and mistakes that have held me back in the past from obtaining knowledge, learning skills, or trying new things I maybe should’ve tried when I was younger and may have set me up a bit better for my life today.

But as I started walking with Yeshua more often and growing closer to Him, I began to realize a few things:

1) If He forgives murderers, adulterers, and many others committing serious sins, I should be imitating Him by forgiving myself for things I spent time doing (or not doing) that perhaps held me back a bit in a few areas, but aren’t things to beat myself up over and nothing I can’t eventually learn or experience.

2) The things that I worried about not knowing or that I somehow haven’t done or experienced yet are trivial and rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things, especially in a social context. Sure, it would be cool if I recognized the importance of some of the things I know or am learning now 3-6 years ago. But I’ve also seen enough proof to know that just because I’m not an expert or super knowledgeable in every area I want or think I should be a bit more knowledgeable in doesn’t make people perceive me in a negative way or change how they feel about who I truly am.

3) It was another instance of Yah allowing things to happen the way they did for a very specific reason. If I hadn’t been knowingly wasting time, been through some toxic friendships, or other things many also struggle with in our society, I wouldn’t have the knowledge or the passion to speak on productivity, priorities, and discipline that I do today. And He’s so good that when the time was right, He showed me how to live out the same lifestyle I preach today and also revealed my calling and purpose within the Body to me.

If you struggle with this same problem as you work to build the best version of yourself, I hope you found this encouraging. From these things, I learned that I shouldn’t be bitter because I wanted my teenage years to play out a little bit differently in hindsight, but that I should be praising The Father that He gave me the knowledge I have now and be better in the sense that I can use that to help others do the same thing as I continue to work toward that godly persona myself. I decided I wasn’t going to let pride, another famous tool of the Enemy, to twist and steal the joy I now have in understanding my purpose and the new track I’m on. Because my life was never about me to begin with.

Be blessed.