leadership

Leaders

Leaders are losers. At least in the kingdom of God they are.

Out in the world, people look up to successful superiors. We applaud those who dominate their industries. Politicians strive to get the most votes, business executives pursue sales and stock prices, and entertainers seek awards and high box office numbers.

Coaches, too. The managers and coaches we admire most own remarkable winning records. The New York Daily News lists several of the greats in American sports, including college basketball’s John Wooden and Pat Summitt, football’s Bill Belichick, and college wrestling’s Dan Gable. What makes them legends? Winning!

In the body of Christ, we learn an alternative approach. Losing isn’t something we resist; God calls us to embrace it. Last week we explored how losing characterizes discipleship. As the members of the Corinthian church illustrated, they weren’t proud members of the upper echelons of society. Most of them were outcasts.

Does this also describe church leaders?

Yes.

Disciples of Jesus–losers in the eyes of the world–are led by men and women whom society regards as failures.

Here’s how Paul characterizes himself and his fellow elders.

Sacrificial

“As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ ³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” – Romans 8:36-37

It’s one thing to suffer, it’s another to know it was foretold. But that’s what Paul points to–Scripture spoke of the persecution of the apostles. Serving the Lord demands a price, but Paul was willing to pay it.

And because he and the apostles were willing, God deems them triumphant. Treated as helpless lambs among wolves, they were in fact victorious conquerors. The world disregards disciple-makers because it thinks serving God is a waste of time. Live for yourself–that’s how you get ahead! But church leaders sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. And in losing themselves, they win.

Spiritual

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” – 1 Corinthians 2:3-5

Paul grew up as a Pharisee, a devotee of Jewish Scripture, tradition, and practices. He knew the details of his religion well, but he couldn’t match the eloquent discourses of the Greco-Roman philosophers and debaters. Paul lay somewhere in the middle–more erudite than typical Christians and Jews but no celebrated orator.

Crafty arguments and spell-binding speeches captured attention in the Roman Empire. (Little has changed!) How could Paul compete with the alluring insights and promises of the pagan religions?

He didn’t bother. Rather than beating them at their own game, Paul conceded defeat. To win the Corinthians to faith in Christ, he would rely on something other than natural ingenuity.

He leaned on the Holy Spirit. The power and wisdom of the Spirit would do more than the finest human resources could ever offer. And as a result, Paul won many souls to the Lord.

Least

“For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. ¹⁰We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! ¹¹To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. ¹²We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world–right up to this moment.” – 1 Corinthians 4:9-13

The residents of Corinth whom Paul introduced to Jesus accepted the gospel but had a hard time abandoning the standards of the world. They assumed that leaders are smart, polished speakers who figure out what’s wrong with society, lay out ingenious solutions, and rally people to the cause.

But the apostles didn’t live up to these expectations. Lowly servants who refused to exalt themselves but who lived to lift up Jesus. And what did they get for their labors? Rejection, ridicule, and punishment.

What a contrast to the Corinthians! Sticking with the world’s values, they strove for recognition and to a great extent, they succeeded. But the apostles knew only humiliation. In the marketplace of ideas, Paul and his co-workers were losers proclaiming a crucified and defeated Messiah.

Why did Paul tolerate mistreatment and misunderstanding? What kept him in the game? Emulating the Lord, he did it for others. He taught the believers how to suffer. But Paul shared something even more important–he revealed why they should suffer. For the sake of God’s people, Paul submitted to the worst society could throw at him,. To preserve the faith of the saints, he would endure anything.

Application

To make a positive impact in the lives of other Christians, we have to allow society to downgrade us. We can’t control how people will react to the gospel or treat us. In the arenas of this world, we may very well lose unplanned competitions. Our reputation, our resources, the roles we fill–we hold all these with a loose grip. But in defeat, we win God’s approval. And we encourage our brothers and sisters to stay loyal to Jesus.