Unbiblical models include:

Mr. Passive never takes a step forwards. If he can maintain the status quo or manage gradual
decline, he’s quite happy.

Mr. Dictator aggressively pushes his own agenda with little thought for others.

Mr. Crisis thrives on drama, especially when the spotlight is on him.  He’ll lead through the Red
Sea, but he’s not so keen on the wilderness. 

Mr. Inconsistent is up and then he’s down. Completely unpredictable and unreliable.

Mr. Fearful makes all decisions based on what people will think. 

Mr. Pessimist always thinks the worst. Growth in other churches is suspect. A cheerful Christian
is a shallow Christian.

Mr. Boastful is an expert with numbers – attendance numbers, budget numbers – which are
always bigger than anyone else’s.

Mr. Academic has read every book you’ve ever read and twice as much again.

Mr. Sociable loves socializing but not shepherding.

Mr. Administrator loves paper and pixels. People and preaching, not so much.

Follow all the biblical models and avoid all unbiblical models.

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To fully grasp the good news, we need to know the bad news first.

God created us in his image, but we rebelled against him.

God now has a problem with us. Since he is righteous and just, he must judge all evil.

The penalty for our sins is death: spiritual, physical, and eternal.

We can do nothing to make ourselves acceptable to God. Good works won’t work.

But here comes the good news. God so loved the world that he provided a way to rescue us.

A substitute: someone able to live a sinless life to die for our sins.

Who is this substitute? Jesus Christ, true God and truly human.

Jesus died on the cross to pay our debt and rose from the dead to give us eternal life.

Jesus is alive

Jesus is the king and savior of the world.

Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead.

To enter his kingdom and be saved, he calls us to turn from our sins and put our trust in him.

And there is more, by his Spirit, Jesus is renewing us to be like Him and empowering us to win others for Him until he returns.

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We live in a sin-denying culture.

We don’t like to talk about sin.

Most people erased the word “sin” from their vocabulary.

Yet, we need to continue to talk about sin because it’s an important concept to understand how God’s story changes our story.

So what is sin? We may talk about sin as the lacking and corruption of good.

God is good, and only good things can flow from him

God is not the author of sin. Sin is not a creature of God but a perversion of what God created very good.

So sin is an intruder.

It’s like rust corroding a metal.

It’s like a parasite feeding on a good creature.

Sin has no nature for itself. Sin needs the good to exist. Sin is spoiled goodness

Like darkness is the absence of light

Like cold is the absence of heat

Our sins tell us that we lack God’s presence

Our sins tell us that we corrupted the life God has given us

Our sins tell us that life’s not the way it’s supposed to be

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The messy world we live in is not the Creator’s original plan.

God is good and therefore created the world very good.

We were made in God’s image to reflect his beauty, character, and works.

Yet, we rebelled against God, following the path of our first parents.

Like them, we break God’s law with our thoughts, desires, words, and actions.

Instead of loving God and loving our neighbors, we are born loving ourselves, ignoring God and our neighbors.

Like our first parents, we constantly hide from God’s presence and try to live life independently.

So, why is my sin a problem for God?

God is righteous and just, and as the perfect judge, he must judge all evil.

If God leaves evil and injustice without its due penalty, he is not a good and holy God.

So, since sin is abandoning God, and God is the author and giver of life, the outcome of sin is death: spiritual, physical, and eternal separation from his presence.

That’s why God has a problem with us. As sinners, we don’t deserve his love and goodness, but only his holy wrath and justice.

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Another way to understand sin is through the idea of law-breaking (1John 3:4).

When we sin, we break all of God’s commandments (James 2:10).

Think about Adam. Adam broke all the 10 commandments by eating the prohibited fruit.

How come?

By eating that fruit…

First, he said God was not the top priority of his life

Second, he tried to find satisfaction in the things created rather than in the Creator

Third, he ignored the holiness of God’s name

Fourth, he sought to rest not in God but his own works

Fifth, he dishonored his heavenly Father’s authority like a rebel

Sixth, he welcomed death for himself and for all humanity

Seventh, he did not love his wife but jeopardized her

Eighth, he took something illegal from the garden

Ninth, he believed the lies of Satan instead of trusting the true Word of God

And tenth, by eating that fruit, he coveted God’s glory instead of enjoying God’s glory.

And like Adam, we’re all sinners because we break all of God’s commandments

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GOD TEACHES US ABOUT CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP THROUGH THREE MAIN RESOURCES

God doesn’t leave us to make it up ourselves but has generously provided resources.

GOD’S PRECEPTS

God’s Word is the primary and foundational source of teaching on Christian leadership.

The Christian leader must follow God’s general moral precepts (The Ten Commandments) and leader-specific precepts and commands (e.g. 1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24).

GOD’S PATTERNS

God also provides us with models, or metaphors, of leadership: the servant, the shepherd, the captain, the father, the steward, etc.

These models come alive in the lives of Jesus, biblical characters, church history, and in our pastors and elders.

AND GOD’S PROVIDENCE

In God’s gracious providence, he has given leadership gifts to many outside the Church: We can learn from leaders in politics, the military, sports, business, etc., as long as we use the Bible first, most, as our framework, and as our sieve.

SUMMARY: God teaches us about Christian leadership through three main resources: his precepts, his patterns, and his providence.

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CHRISTIAN MEN SHOULD ASPIRE TO LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH

“If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task (1 Timothy 3:1).

Another version puts it: “To aspire to leadership is an honorable ambition”

NOT FOR SELFISH REASONS

Jeremiah said that if anyone seeks great things for himself, he should stop right there (Jer. 45:5).

• I want power
• respect
• fulfilment
• control
• redemption (trying to make up for past wrongs)

BUT FOR GOD’S GLORY

• I want to exalt God by my life and my lips

AND THE GOOD OF OTHERS

• I want to serve and equip God’s people
• see sinners saved
• prepare people for eternity
• see the Church reformed to make a bigger impact on the world

SUMMARY; Christian men should aspire to lead in the church, not for selfish reasons but for God’s glory, the good of others, and the success of the church.

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A CHRISTIAN LEADER SERVES GOS AND HIS PEOPLE

• We lead by serving
• Serving God and then God’s people

BY MODELING GODLY CHARACTER AND CONDUCT

• We lead by example
• A Christ-like character and Christ-like conduct

BY COMMUNICATING GOD’S WORD

• Father, husband, elder, deacon – we lead by studying God’s Word
• We’re shaped by it and shape others with it

BY EXCELLING IN VOCATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Whatever our calling we aim to excel in it

BY DISCIPLING GOD’S PEOPLE FOR WORSHIP AND SERVICE

• We equip others so they become God’s worshippers and servants

AND BY PREPARING THEM FOR ETERNAL LIFE

• Ultimate aim is more people in heaven

ALL IN DEPENDENCE UPON GOD

• We’re saved by grace and serve by grace.

SUMMARY: A Christian leader serves God and his people by modeling godly character and conduct, by communicating God’s Word, by excelling in vocational responsibilities, by discipling God’s people for worship and service, and by preparing them for eternal life, all in dependence upon God.

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