ScriptureExodus 19:3,173 Then Moses went up to God…17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God…Observation - What does it say?Moses, although he just set up a system delegating his governing authority to a set of judges, Moses is still the sole spiritual leader of Israel. He is the people’s representative to God and the channel of Gods wisdom to the people. And as the spiritual leader, Moses had his own relationship with God but also facilitated God encounters for the people he led.
Understanding - What does it mean?Effective spiritual leadership is characterized by pursuing personal relationship with God and then helping others experience God for themselves.
Effective spiritual leadership begins with pursuing God myself. My mother-in-law often calls on me for help with her computer. But unless I’ve spent time with a computer and learned how to use it myself, I’m going to be useless to her. It will be the blind leading the blind. In the same way, I can’t teach people about a God I haven’t really spent time with and am unfamiliar with. Jesus called these kind of people blind guides.
But having a great relationship with God isn't enough to be called a leader. If I spend day and night on the computer and know everything about it, it doesn’t benefit my mother-in-law in the slightest unless I share my knowledge and experience and show her how to use it for herself. In the same way, I am not really a leader until I’m actually leading others into knowing and experiencing God for themselves. Want to know of you're a leader? Look behind you. You may be pursuing God, but who are you bringing with you?The Apostle Paul shared Jesus' purpose for every kind of Christian leader:Ephesians 4:11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Christianity isn’t about a few super spiritual people who do all the ministry and who have a relationship with God for the rest. It’s all about equipping each other for ministry, building each other up so we reach unity in the faith. In the heart of every Christian should be the desire to know God more and to bring others with us.
Life ApplicationKeep pursuing God myself! The more I experience of him, the more I’ll have to share with others.Look for opportunities to encourage and lead others in pursuing their own relationship with God.God, reveal yourself to us! Give us a heart to seek you and to know you more. And as you we experience more of you, use us to lead others into having similar experiences of their own. Amen.To check out the discussion or to join in click here.
