Jesus' Lessons On Leadership

This is the twelfth post in the series from Chapter 5 of Friends With God: God’s Called Out Ones. In the previous post we began to examine one of Christ’s longest teachings on leadership in Matthew 18:1-35, which include looking after the weak and young in the Church, and the necessity for humility in the leaders.

Correction In The Church, And By The Church

In Matthew 18:15-20, as Jesus continues teaching the necessity of humility and service in leadership, he focuses on the issue of correcting someone. There is nothing in this section about leaders making decisions for “lower” members. Instead, he starts out saying that you should go to your brother alone if he needs correcting, but if that doesn’t work then take two or three witnesses, and if that doesn’t work, then take it to the church.

There is no hiding of sin in the kind of organisation that Christ wants us to form. For, if this person does not repent after the private discussion, or after the small group discussion, then their sin is to be publicly disclosed! And there are no authoritarian dictates as to who is in or out of the group either. It is the entire organisation that hears and decides on the situation.

Note also, this is not talking about a leader correcting someone, but anybody doing so, when they see a brother sinning.

I have heard ministers say that the “church” whom we are to go to is the ministry, but that totally misses the point (except perhaps the point of exalting themselves!).

The word “church” does not mean the ‘leadership of the church’, but the entire organisation, for the word is “ekklesia” - which is the called out assembly or congregation. There is no indication at all that this directive is talking to only the leaders. Jesus is talking about the leadership that everyone should exercise when correcting a brother who is caught up in a sin.

two or three are gathered together in My name

Then, following this directive about how to deal with correcting your brother, comes the discussion about authority, (discussed previously here) ending with: For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst. (Matt 18:20)

This also is not talking about two or three leaders, but normal church members. Christ expects us all to be responsible, and wise, and to draw near to him- yet there is never just one person making decisions, it is always two or three at the minimum, and then for the matter to be taken to the entire organisation, and not for an automatic stamp of approval, but for honest discussion and resolution.

Such egalitarian relationships between the membership, and such a deep relationship between the membership and Christ, is what needs to be emphasised and understood from these verses.

These relationships are what the scriptures tell us should be the foundational structures of any church’s organising system. The role of leadership, such as correcting others, is put on all members, not only on those in positions of responsibility.

Until seventy times seven.

Christ was not finished with his discourse on leadership. His theme of forgiveness and judgement of others continued on into the next incident:

Then Peter came to Him and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times? Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. (Matt 18:21)

Christ then told the parable of the servant who was forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents, (perhaps ten million dollars) but he himself would not forgive someone who owed him a hundred pence (about $1). His fellow servants were shocked by his meanness and lack of mercy, and complained to their lord:

Then his lord … said to him, O wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have pitied your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you? And his lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due to him. So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also to you, unless each one of you from your hearts forgive his brother their trespasses. (Matt 18:21-35)

This again shows the expectation of an egalitarian relationship within the church organisation, for clearly the fellow servants could appeal directly to their highest lord if their leaders treated people unjustly or unmercifully.

Mercy In Leadership, Or Else!

Applying this analogy to the church, it’s obvious that the membership can appeal to Christ directly for help with unruly leaders. There is no need for any mediation by a leader between God and individual members. Leaders are to guide our relationship with God, not to control or limit it.

God not only expects mercy to be shown by church leadership, he absolutely insists on it. And he backs this up by saying that if God gets complaints from the membership about the leaders, then even the mercy previously given to the leaders will actually be taken away from them! This analogy is very disturbing to theologians, for they see that it is clearly talking about our sins that had previously been forgiven, being now unforgiven, if we don’t show the same mercy to others that was given to us!

From this we see that the leaders are certainly not given a free ride into the Kingdom of God. We can see this also by the many examples in the scriptures of leaders going astray, by either dominating others or enriching themselves.

However, lay members unfortunately, will often put up with, or even welcome, arrogant “strong” leaders!

As we have seen in the previous post, Paul sarcastically ridiculed the church in Corinth, for being tolerant of (and even welcoming) abuse by authoritarian, greedy ministers. (2Cor 11:20) Also John addressed the matter of such authoritarian leaders, and those who foolishly accepted them. (3John 1:8-11)

James also clearly told us that the teachers of God’s word will have the stricter judgement. (James 3:1-2) Even so, we are all, in time, expected to be able to be teachers of the word of God. (Heb 5:12)

False Leaders From Within And Without The Church

The problem with following leaders is obviously that they may be wrong- some out of ignorance and some out of malicious intent.

God has very high standards, and he is willing to test us through trials to see if we understand and truly trust him. For not just the leaders, but all members, have been prophesied to have a very difficult road to walk, which Jesus warned will cause many to fail:

Go in through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there are who go in through it. Because narrow is the gate and constricted is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matt 7:13-14)

This is warning us that many of those who are called by God, to be part of his Church, will go in the wrong gate and will not gain eternal life! Christ emphasised this point often, as can be seen in Matthew 20:1-16, 22:1-14, and Luke 13:22-30.

And when he warned us about going astray, it was most often the deceptive leaders he emphasised that we must be wary of:

Beware of false prophets (teachers) who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? … Therefore by their fruits you shall know them. (Matt 7:15-20)

He did not tell us to follow some other leader, who tells us what the bad leaders are like, rather he said that we should use our own judgement to determine if our leader’s behaviour is good or bad.

If we don’t take responsibility for examining the quality of our leader’s behaviour, then top-down leadership, and a church organisational structure that allows such leadership to exist, may cause us to miss the narrow gate to eternal life! That is the warning, if you have ears to hear.

It’s your responsibility to make individual determinations about the type and quality of the fruits of your leaders. Don’t be fooled by these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus is putting responsibility squarely on your shoulders, to sort it out for yourself- with his help of course.

Warnings Directly To Leaders

Similarly, Paul, when talking to the leaders from Ephesus, warned them about their responsibility to not become self-aggrandising or abusive:

Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, (they must protect the membership from false teachers) to feed the church of God which He has purchased with His own blood.
For I know this, that after my departure grievous wolves shall enter in among you,
not sparing the flock.
Also men shall arise from your own selves, speaking perverse (misinterpreting/distorting) things in order to draw disciples away after them.
Therefore watch and remember that for the time of three years
I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
(Acts 20:28-31)

Not only would bad leaders come from outside (grievous wolves shall enter in among you), but also, from within the existing good leadership some would start to speak perverse things in order to draw disciples away after them.

They were warned (as we are by these words) to take heed to yourselves- take responsibility and be very careful not to be deceived into becoming covetous and self-aggrandising leaders, or so foolish to support such leaders.

Although these people Paul spoke to were good leaders, and were warned by him for over three years, the proclivity for some of them to change and lord it over the membership would not go away.

The Iron Law Of Oligarchy (as discussed in the previous post) was certainly evident 2,000 years ago! It’s our responsibility, to be aware of, and be alert to anybody expressing self-aggrandisement and desire for power over others.

It’s certain that false leaders won’t tell you what they are doing! Indeed, it seems that they may be deceived into adopting a position of power over others, just as members are deceived into welcoming it.

Take heed that no man deceive you.

When organisations grow large it’s often necessary for the leaders to make many decisions without input from others. The problem is that when these decisions become dictates which others must obey, rather than just a convenient necessary determination that allows for smooth running of an organisation.

As Jesus said:

‘Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many’. (Matt 24:4-5)

These were people saying that Jesus was the Christ. They were not ‘false Christs’ as they ‘shall come in my name’, which means they point to him and his example to follow, yet they are obviously false teachers as they ‘shall deceive many’.

How can false teachers who nonetheless preach and teach Christ, deceive many? Simple- they pervert the gospel of Christ for their own reward. Such perversion of the truth happened in Galatia:

I marvel that you are so soon being moved away from Him who called you into the grace of Christ, to another gospel, which is not another, but some are troubling you, and desiring to pervert (corrupt) the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Gal 1:6-9)

And such a curse is justified, for such false teachers have certainly cursed the membership, both then and now!

Yet God is in charge of the Church, and he actually allows false leaders to exist! And he does so in order to test us to see if we are willing and courageous enough to confront them and get rid of them… as will be discussed in detail in the next post.