Good Leaders are Committed Followers First
In this series, we’ve been looking at what it means to be a spiritual leader. While so much of our focus has been on parents leading their families, this blog aims to speak to all believers, because we’ve all been called to lead those around us closer to Jesus.
You Can’t Lead Others on a Path You’re Not Walking
To be a good leader–whether in your home, at your work, to your friends, etc.–you must know where it is you’re leading others. Faith journeys are the same. Good leaders must first be committed followers.
Jesus, who calls us into spiritual leadership through the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), never commands us to do something He Himself didn’t model for us. Which brings us to our basis for this blog: before He sent us out to be spiritual leaders, He called us to follow Him.
What We Can Learn From the Call Jesus Gives His Disciples
In Matthew 4:18-22, we read about Jesus calling His first disciples. Here’s what we, as His disciples today, can learn about our roles as spiritual leaders from this passage:
Jesus sees our potential where we see our shortcomings.
Verse 18 tells us this scene takes place along the Sea of Galilee, a lake that both back then and today is a hub for a competitive fishing industry. Historians estimate that on any given day, there would have been up to two-hundred-and-fifty fishing boats out in the water. This means that to see Simon and Andrew, then James and John, Jesus would have been looking (from shore!) through many different ships and fishermen.
Not only did He see these men out of a sea of fishermen (pardon our pun😉), but we also know from history that at least Simon Peter and Andrew were a part of a successful family fishing business. With such a legacy and considering these men had little-to-no religious training, it’s fair to say these men weren’t qualified to be the leaders of the Early Church movement and even had reason to refuse Jesus’ call. Yet these are first two men He calls to be His disciples.
As we follow the gospel story and the accounts of the Early Church, we see how these men grow into incredible spiritual leaders. But this growth started with Jesus seeing them not just for who they were, but for who they would become. He sees our flaws and potential too and calls us to follow Him.
Jesus calls us to Himself first.
In verse 19, we see Jesus call Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John to first follow Him before telling them what He will be leading. Likewise, He’s called us into a relationship with Him before He’s called us to do anything for Him. Consider how many intimate moments you’re spending with Him versus doing things for Him.
Following Jesus is a process.
The words, “and I will make you” in verse 19 imply a process to endure. We become what we give our attention to. The more time we spend with Him, the more we become like Him.
This process is called sanctification. As we get to know Jesus more, His kindness convicts us to change our attitudes and behaviors to reflect His character. (Romans 2:4) Like our physical growth in life comes with growing pains, our spiritual growth isn’t without suffering. But even as we endure the pain of refinement, we can have hope because we know He is redeeming our broken pieces and turning our shortcomings into the potential He saw in us when He called us.
Committed Followers Become Good Leaders
We see Simon Peter and Andrew in verse 20, then James and John in verse 22, drop everything and immediately follow Jesus. Then, as we continue to read the New Testament, we see their time with Jesus not only radically changed their lives, but the world as well. Likewise, your relationship with Jesus should be so impactful on a personal level, it impacts your relationship with others as well.
This post is inspired by message five of our “God’s Design: The Family Code” sermon series entitled, “Follow Me” by Pastor Gaylyn Kelly. You can dive deeper into what it looks like to lead your family well by using the study guide we’ve produced for this series. Submit your email here to receive a free eBook version to your inbox.