Skip to main content

Quality Leadership

We are all leaders in many areas. And even to our friends informally. Leadership is unavoidable. But how do we know whether we are taking our responsibilities seriously?

The Bible is a manual for life and therefore it comes as no surprise that it has a lot to say about leadership directly through letters of Timothy, Titus, Ephesians and 1 Peter. But interestingly enough the overwhelming instructions are indirectly by people who modelled godly leadership leadership. One good example is Epaphras, the church planter of Colossae. Here is what Paul had to say about him in at the beginning of his letter to the Colossians :
You learned [the good news of Jesus] from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. [1:7-8]
Just in case they forget by the time they finish reading the letter, he adds this another line about Epaphras towards the end:
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis [4:12-13]
Reading these two "book end" observations about Epaphras from Paul reminds us that a key them of Colossians is reassurance. Not just reassurance about who Jesus is and the genuiness of their faith in Jesus, but surprisingly reassurance that they have good leadershipAand they must not cast these leaders aside for those who want to ursurp their authority and are bringing wrong teaching. So what can Epaphras teach us about quality leadership, especially in under threat?

First, leaders must be servants. Epaphras was a servant of Jesus (doulos). A slave to his master! Paul says "Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus". Jesus was his ultimate boss! True leadership puts Christ first! Only when we serve him first can we truly serve others! This is a challenge to all of us. Are we totally sold out to Christ in how we work? How much is our work is truly Christ shaped?

Notice that Epaphras was not a lone ranger! He was a the consume team player, serving along Paul eveto prison! True leadership is always outward looking rather than inward! It puts others before the self! It means looking out for the interests of others instead of our own. It means not leave others to do dirty work. It means not being glory hunters! But rather we seek to be a servant of Jesus in every area God has placed us.

Secondly, leaders must be prayerful. Epaphras served through prayer. He was constant and persistent in prayer ("always wrestling...for you")! His prayers were personal and intense. He put his heart and soul in praying! Epaphras knew that God was ultimately in charge of everything. Apart from God, he could nothing! What did he pray for? That his fellow Christians may know God's will in every situation & stand confident in it. Not worrying!

True leadership is accomplished on the knees before it is accomplished on the desk! Are we constantly praying for those we manage or report to? Or are our prayers at in our vocation and home "me" centred?

Finally, leaders must work hard. Epaphras put in the hours for Jesus Christ! Paul vouches for him. That speaks volumes about him! Epaphras not only worked hard for his immediate responsibility (Laodicea) but far and beyond (Hierapolis)! True leaders pray hard and work hard! There's no room for laziness in the Christian life!

How hard are we really working? Are we always finding excuses for not doing thing? Christians who underperform do a great disservice to God's reputation. We are ambassadors of Christ! We need to ask God to enable us to actively develop and maintain an attitude of hard work as we work and lead in all areas of our lives!

Related Posts

Lessons from Colossae : Identity (1:1)
Lessons from Colossae : Status (1:1)
Lessons from Colossae : Faithfulness (1:2)
Lessons from Colossae : Faith (1:3-4a)
Lessons from Colossae : Love (1:3-4)
Lessons from Colossae : Hope (1:3-5a)
Lessons from Colossae : Good News (1:5b-6)

Copyright © Chola Mukanga 2014

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Humility of Newton

Thou hast honoured me. Thou hast given me a tongue and a pen, many friends; (Thou] hast made me extensively known among thy people and I have reason to hope, useful to many by my preaching and writings... It is of thine own that I can serve thee. And if others speak well of me, I have no cause to speak or think well of myself. They see only my outward walk; to thee I appear as I am. In thy sight I am a poor, unworthy, unfaithful inconsistent creature. And I may well wonder that Thou hast not long ago taken thy word utterly out of my mouth and forbidden me to make mention of thy Name any more! JOHN NEWTON ( Source : Wise Counsel) Newton wrote these words addressed to God in his diary in 1789. In that year, Newton’s fame had grown significantly because of his publishing ‘ Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade’ and his appearance before Her Majesty’s Privy Council appointed to investigate the slave trade.  I find Newton’s words quite challenging. The words reveal a heart truly shaped by t

I am what I am by Gloria Gaynor

Beverly Knight closed the opening ceremony of the Paralympics with what has been dubbed the signature tune of the Paralympics. I had no idea Ms Knight is still in the singing business. And clearly going by the raving reviews she will continue to be around. One media source says her performance was so electric that "there wasn’t a dry eye to be seen as she sang the lyrics to the song and people even watching at home felt the passion in her words" . The song was Gloria Gaynor's I am what I am . Clearly not written by Gloria Gaynor but certainly musically owned and popularized by her. It opens triumphantly: I am what I am / I am my own special creation / So come take a look / Give me the hook or the ovation / It's my world that I want to have a little pride in / My world and it's not a place I have to hide in / Life's not worth a damn till you can say I am what I am The words “I am what I am” echo over ten times in the song. A bold declaration that she

Pride vs Humility

Spiritual pride tends to speak of other persons’ sins with bitterness or with laughter and an air of contempt. But pure Christian humility rather tends either to be silent about these problems or to speak of them with grief and pity. Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others, but a humble Christian is most guarded about himself. He is as suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart. The proud person is apt to find fault with other believers, that they are low in grace, and to be quick to note their deficiencies. But the humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own heart and is so concerned about it that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts. He is apt to esteem others better than himself. JONATHAN EDWARDS  (Source: The Works of Jonathan Edward’s, Volume 1)