CHAPTER 9

THE JESUS-CENTERED LEADER

Were we able to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the Church will stand tomorrow.

~ A. W. Tozer1

Easy Company was a group of unlikely heroes.

This group of men, along with countless thousands of others, sacrificed their lives for a cause greater than themselves. The Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan had aligned with hopes of creating a new world under the auspices of their warped ideologies. Their militaries ransacked the globe, instilling fear and concern. The global response to these threats by the Allied Powers is what is known as World War II.

Stephen Ambrose’s book Band of Brothers, later made into a TV miniseries, followed the journey of one group of men through their trials and triumphs in the European theatre of war. This group was known as Easy Company, an ensemble of paratroopers in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army.

The miniseries paints a picture of everyday men displaying extraordinary courage in the midst of harrowing fear. It can be dissected from a variety of angles, but one that stands out is the necessity of leadership. Easy Company experienced and was shaped by both poor leadership and exemplary leadership.

The series begins with Easy Company in Camp Toccoa, Georgia, training under the leadership of First Lieutenant Herbert Sobel (later Captain). He is dictatorial, unreasonable, and inept. Although the men honor his rank, they disdain his character. The implications are disastrous. Imagine preparing a group of men for a mission that would likely cost them their lives, yet asking them to follow a man they don’t trust or respect. Grumbling ensues. His orders are begrudgingly followed, but he has not won the affection of his men. The esprit de corps is glaringly absent from a group of soldiers who would most definitely perish without it.

From within the ranks of Easy Company is another leader. Although he does not have the rank or title, he does have the respect of the men. He leads by example and proves to be the glue that holds Easy Company together through their tumultuous season with First Lieutenant Sobel. Second Lieutenant Richard Winters (later Major) proves to have the character, competency, and chemistry to lead this group.

Sobel is reassigned, and Winters is given the charge to officially lead Easy Company into Normandy. The change within the men is nearly immediate. The esprit de corps that was absent begins to form as the men unify around one another, their leader, and the mission before them. Why?

Because culture depends on leadership.

This is true in any organization, group, or family. Culture and ethos is a reflection of leadership. Your church culture—over time, at least—is a reflection of the leadership of the church. The kingly function of leadership is as vital to the health of a local church as is the prophetic function of teaching.

So in many ways, the culture serves as a diagnostic mirror that reveals the implications of our leadership. If you want an honest evaluation of your leadership, then look at the ethos of your church. It’s time we stopped complaining about the culture of our churches and started leading within them. We can only complain about the church culture for a few years; after that, it’s a reflection of how we are leading. It is a mirror reflecting leadership, and sometimes what we see can be painful.

Given the importance of leadership within the church, we want to take a substantial look at how the gospel should impact our leadership.

A gospel-centered church is infused with gospel-centered leadership. If a local church corporately bears the fruit of the Spirit, then you can be confident individuals who have been marked by the gospel of Jesus Christ lead it. There is a direct correlation between the personal impact of the gospel on a leader’s heart and the way he leads. The gospel is not good advice simply to be taken into consideration in certain situations; rather, the gospel is good news of sweeping transformation. A gospel-centered leader will lead differently.

A Brief Biblical Theology of Leadership2

Leadership is a hot topic. Myriads of books dissect it from every angle, universities offer doctoral degrees on it, and leadership gurus debate over the exact combination of personality types and attributes that make the perfect leader. While much of this conversation is profitable, perhaps the attempt to produce a formula for making the ultimate leader has caused us to lose the wonder of God’s providence in choosing and using leaders. Throughout history, God has raised up men and women, some weak and some strong, some smart and some slow, in certain seasons and certain situations, to accomplish His overarching purposes in the world. A distinctly Christian understanding of leadership must be biblically rooted and theologically formed. Even a cursory study of the biblical witness provides several prominent elements necessary for our understanding of leadership.

First, our leadership is a derivative leadership sourced in God Himself. He establishes nations and governments and directs the course of the king’s heart (Rom. 13:1; Prov. 21:1). He dresses the lilies of the field and watches over the sparrow (Matt. 6:26–31; 10:29). This becomes even more explicit when talking about God’s sovereign leadership over His church. Jesus is the Head of the Church and has been given authority over all (Eph. 1:20; 5:23). He is the preeminent One and the “chief Shepherd” of the Church (Col. 1:18; 1 Pet. 5:4 HCSB). Every joint and ligament in the body of Christ is held together and fits together in Him (Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19). God’s sovereign leadership over all is foundational for understanding human leadership.

In short, because our leadership is ultimately derived from God’s, it is always subservient, always secondary. In no way does this demean the role and responsibility of human leaders; rather, it defines the scope of human leadership. It puts it in its proper place and provides the right limitations. The apostle Paul discusses this in 2 Corinthians 5 when he describes the role and responsibility of the believer in ambassadorial terms (v. 20). We are sent to the world as agents on behalf of another. We are representatives carrying the message of one greater than ourselves.

Second, God raises up leaders. They are born under His auspices. They are elected under His watch. They rise to the occasion under His reign. They are given a voice by His decree. He builds up platforms and dismantles platforms. He gives some of them long seasons of influence, while others have shorter windows in which to serve.

Yet in all of this, there is mystery. God’s sovereign reign over leaders does not diminish the freedom for humanity to seize opportunities. Consider, for example, Mordecai’s wisdom to Queen Esther: “If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this” (Esth. 4:14 HCSB). In this passage we see that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted (namely, that deliverance will come to His people), but Esther still had the opportunity to act, to lead. God’s sovereignty doesn’t diminish our responsibility or opportunity.

God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. How often we see Him in Scripture calling the unexpected and the average into significant roles of leadership. In some sense, there is no concrete mold or predictable pattern for the person God raises up to lead. Consider the calling of Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Moses was filled with reluctance and anxiety. He was slow and hesitant in speech. How was he to be God’s mouthpiece?

But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since You have been speaking to Your servant—because I am slow and hesitant in speech.”

Yahweh said to him, “Who made the human mouth? Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, Yahweh? Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” (Exod. 4:10–12 HCSB)

Samuel was called to anoint the new king of Israel, knowing it would be one of Jesse’s sons. However, even this godly judge of Israel forgot that God qualifies those He calls. Samuel was looking for certain outward indicators of who this next king would be, but God shows us through the calling of David that a certain age, appearance, or pecking order is not God’s criteria for leadership:

“In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before Him.”

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. Then Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy, handsome appearance.

Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil, anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord took control of David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.” (1 Sam. 16:5–13 HCSB)

The testimony of God calling the ordinary and unexpected continues in the New Testament. Jesus’ calling of the first disciples is a wonderful example of God choosing the ordinary, uneducated, and common to engage in a work that is extraordinary, brilliant, and supernatural. The apostle Paul reminds the Corinthian church to consider their calling. They were not wise. They lacked power and influence and a good pedigree (1 Cor. 1:26–31). Yet, He chose them to be His ambassadors to carry the most important message in the world.

Third, leadership is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament bears the story of how God called and anointed a specific group of people for specific functions. Prophets, priests, and kings each fulfilled distinct roles and responsibilities in the leading of God’s people. In the New Testament, leadership is listed in one of the apostle Paul’s list of spiritual gifts, found in Romans 12:6–8 (HCSB): “According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts . . . if exhorting, in exhortation; giving with generosity; leading, with diligence” (italics added). Obviously, a common grace of leadership is extended to men and women who are not endowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and are not believers in Jesus Christ. But the Scriptures make a specific point that there is a unique “gift” of leadership, sovereignly doled out to some for the edification of the Church and the building up of the saints. And it is to be stewarded with diligence. The primary implication for leaders is that there is no room for boasting. God graciously gives gifts, leaving no room for haughty and prideful leadership.

Finally, godly leaders are concerned with God’s agenda. Godly leadership is stewardship. It is the recognition that personal agendas, entitlements, vainglory, and selfish ambition must be put to death. A leader who is transformed by the gospel seeks not to make a name for himself but to lift high the name of Jesus. His obsession is not with building his own empire but living for the kingdom of God.

We see this example in Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, David, Isaiah, Daniel, the apostles, and in the Lord Jesus Himself. The primary declaration of the godly leader is, “Yes, Yahweh, we wait for You in the path of Your judgments. Our desire is for Your name and renown” (Isa. 26:8 HCSB).

The Scriptures are replete with examples of leadership, both godly and wicked, giving us several key theological points to extrapolate and ponder when considering leadership—its source, its purpose, its requirements upon those who lead. But what takes us from here to the place where we can view the distinguishing marks of gospel-centered, Jesus-centered leadership?

What Is Gospel-Centered Leadership?

Most Christian approaches to leadership simply find good and bad examples of leaders in the Bible and say, “Be like this,” or “Don’t be like that.” Although the Bible certainly provides great examples of leadership, these approaches often assume the Bible is a book primarily about you and what you are to do, rather than primarily about God and what He has done in Christ. Gospel-centered leadership does not begin with the command to imitate, but with the good news that God is gracious and has sent His Son to take our sins and give us life.

So, yes, gospel-centered leadership may end up looking like Nehemiah or Moses, but that’s because it’s grounded in being united to the One toward whom they point: Jesus. When you’re united to the One who died on the cross and rose from the grave, then your life (and your leadership) is shaped by dying to self and allowing Christ to live in you.

In light of all of this, how can we best understand and define leadership, specifically gospel-centered leadership? Jesus-centered leadership is God-focused, Christ-exalting, and Spirit-led influence toward a kingdom agenda. Gospel-centered leadership is inextricably linked to the work of the triune God in redemption. The gospel is Trinitarian. The Father sends, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies. Thus, gospel-centered leadership is marked by its redemptive influence and kingdom initiatives.

This definition is in accord with the theological grid distilled from the Scriptures. Gospel-centered leadership focuses on the glory of God and is grounded in God’s reign and rule. Gospel-centered leadership aims to exalt Christ Jesus in all things and is sourced in His Person and work. He is the Chief Shepherd, the Senior Pastor, and Head of the body. Gospel-centered leadership recognizes that we cannot afford to be self-directed in our influence; rather we must be Spirit-led. All of our influence and inertia is toward advancing the kingdom of God by pushing back the darkness.

Who Does God Use: Who Is a Jesus-Centered Leader?

A gospel-centered leader is characterized less by the exemplification of certain personality traits and more by being united to the Person of Jesus. Our brief look at the Scriptures showed that God uses a variety of people from an assortment of backgrounds with differing skills and shortcomings to accomplish His work. He isn’t looking for a certain skill-set to employ; rather, He is looking for people who are united to the Son through His death and resurrection. Our gifting and skills are secondary to our union with Christ.

The gospel also redefines leadership in terms of leaders being born or leaders being created over time. All gospel-centered leaders are both reborn and re-created. This is their primary mark. They are not the same people as they were prior to the regenerative work of the Spirit in their hearts.

The work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration necessarily starts the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. A leader’s life is consistently being shaped, molded, and formed into the image of Christ. This is often a slow, but always consistent, work of the Spirit. Because of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, a gospel-centered leader should not be the same person in his leadership, his character, or his life today that he was years ago. The Spirit uses our experiences, our natural maturing, and the Word of God to supernaturally etch our souls and enliven our hearts. The leader who does not have a pliable heart lacks one of the distinctive marks of the gospel. We are constantly changing and being changed from one degree of glory to the next (2 Cor. 3:18).

We become what we behold. If we obsess over food, then we ultimately become gluttonous. If we obsess over certain material items or possessions, then we become covetous. But if we behold the glory of Christ, then we will ultimately become like Him. This truth cannot be overstated for the leader in the church. There are a myriad of responsibilities facing the church leader, but the one thing that cannot be forsaken is the simple beholding of Jesus (Luke 10:39–42).

The fact that gospel-centered leaders are both reborn and re-created is evidenced in the lists of qualifications found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1.3 The overarching qualification is that the leader (specifically here dealing with elders and deacons) must be above reproach, having integrity and character. Our tendency in reading this is to think that the elder or deacon has perfect behavior and doesn’t face the struggles common to the rest of us. But nothing can be further from the truth.

The gospel declares that we are not a perfect people; this is foundational to our understanding. In fact, the gospel unashamedly pronounces our lack of perfection and affirms that our hearts have been soiled with sin. But Christ has died for this and has given us a new heart. We are not the same people. Morality and integrity are the by-products—not of our own effort, but of the work of the Spirit. A man who is above reproach, then, is a man who is united to Christ. Yes, he still sins. Yes, he still struggles. But he runs to the Savior instead of away from Him. He is quick to confess and repent before others and before the Lord. Repentance is the continual ethic of the gospel-centered leader. The leader who is above reproach lives a life that is free of accusation; his struggles are known and covered by the blood of Jesus.4

Far too often we have looked at these lists and simply seen them as actions divorced from the heart and separate from the work of the gospel. For instance, “hospitality” is listed as a qualification for leadership. This certainly involves more than having people over to our homes for punch and cookies. It is a response of the heart to the work of the gospel in our lives. Jesus has invited us to His table. He has set a place for us and brought us near. We who were once strangers and aliens have been ushered into the palace of the King and called His sons (Eph. 2:12–13; John 14:1–3). Certainly the gospel impacts our understanding of hospitality.

Scripture also says the leader is not a “lover of money.” How does the gospel inform our understanding of this? The gospel-centered leader has already given everything needed to buy the field that gains him the treasure of the gospel (Matt. 13:44). Treasures, therefore, have been redefined for him. Jesus is the treasure. He is the prize. As a result, money and possessions have lost, and are losing, their grip on the heart.

This is how the gospel brings weight, meaning, and perspective to all of the leadership qualifications listed.

Consider how our churches might be different if our leadership reflected a gospel-centered understanding and application of these qualifications. The gospel would become the grid by which we understand our calling and our qualification. Not only would it inform us but also sustain us in those qualifications. We would not need to manufacture behaviors; rather, this would simply be the type of people we’re becoming as we behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).

As we are changed more and more into the image of Christ, we begin to be moved by the things that moved our Lord. Our union with Christ manifests itself by having the heart of Christ. And all of this produces a deep angst and burden in the soul of a leader. This combination presses on the heart of the leader and produces a confident vision. Beholding Jesus ultimately moves us to action.

Vision that is birthed in the heart of the leader is sourced in the heart of the triune God. In this case, the gospel becomes the primary driver for a particular vision or cause, rather than a certain vision or cause being the primary driver. Gospel-driven vision leads our church to be sustaining and persevering, while cause-driven vision can be temporary and faddish. Gospel-driven vision will undoubtedly lead you and your church to tackle weighty causes, but not all cause-driven vision will lead you and your people to the gospel. What drives your vision is essential.

The church cannot afford to settle for merely “good leadership.” There is nothing distinctively Christian about leadership in general. What the church desperately needs are men and women who are marked by the distinctiveness of the gospel in their leadership. Leaders, more than anyone, should be acutely aware that their gifting, qualification, and competence are not of their own doing; rather, they give ongoing evidence of the grace of God in their lives (2 Cor. 3:4–6; 1 Tim. 1:12).

Leading by Following: How a Jesus-Centered Leader Leads

We have done a brief biblical theology of leadership, defined gospel-centered leadership, and looked at who a gospel-centered leader is. We now want to look at how a gospel-centered leader leads.

In short, gospel-centered leadership is essentially leading by following.

We love stories of pioneers blazing new trails, adventurists tackling new feats, and explorers making new discoveries. The rugged individualism of Western culture has been celebrated and esteemed. There is definitely room in the Church for entrepreneurialism, ingenuity, and innovation. In fact, we need more leaders who possess these gifts and this level of drive. But gospel-centered leaders are always tempered by the fact that they are ultimately not leading the charge.

We do not need mavericks who think they get to fly solo. These types of leaders are far too common and can be potentially dangerous to the Church. Instead, Scripture demands that we are vice-regents who act in the name of Another. We are first followers before we are ever leaders. And our leadership is always subjected to following Jesus.

This cannot be overstated. We are a people under authority, and authority is a blessing. We are under the authority of the Spirit, for example. We are under the authority of the laws of the land. There are shadows of authority all around us, reminding us of the greater Authority that we are all subject to. If we see this as a leash on our leadership or a needless restriction on our abilities, then we have gross error in our understanding of our relationship with the Lord. We must recognize that our hearts have a proclivity toward the things of the world and the flesh (Jer. 17:9). Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (HCSB). If we begin to lead in our own fleshly wisdom, strength, and direction, we will surely lead others and ourselves toward death and decay. This is not a shock-value statement; it’s an inevitable implication of flesh-led leadership. The Spirit leads to life. Nothing and no one else does.

A leader who understands that he is under the authority of God also understands that he is accountable to God. The way he leads matters. The directions, decisions, and actions he makes have both a significant and subtle impact. Far too often we’ve seen a leader, engulfed in ego-driven power, who believes he answers to no one. He may say the right things and know the right answers, but his actions betray him. He lives as if he’s the king. This is a failure to understand the gospel and a failure to apply the gospel to leadership.

We have also seen leaders with a messiah complex. Such people have obviously lost sight of the fact that there is one Savior and one sacrifice that is sufficient—and that neither of those realities have anything to do with us. We are role players in the unfolding kingdom agenda, being called to faithfulness, and we can easily be replaced. It is actually freeing to know this and to lead with this—to know that we are not essential. It engenders a heart of gratitude for the role we’ve been given and also for the fact that it doesn’t depend on us. We will all give an account for our leadership, but we will not be held accountable for being a savior. That job belongs to Another, who has already done it perfectly.

None of us ever graduate from the gospel to move on to something else; rather, we continue to grow into the fullness of the gospel more and more. A gospel-centered leader continues to trust wholeheartedly in the provision and sufficiency of the gospel, leading others to do the same. The natural pipeline for leadership is first learning to be led by Christ ourselves, then leading others, then leading other leaders, and finally learning to lead with other leaders.

But learning to be led by Christ—the first order of business—can be one of the more challenging aspects to all of leadership. It requires submission, self-awareness, honesty, and the ability to discern our own clever self-justifications. Perhaps the most important note about learning to be led by Christ ourselves is discovering we cannot do it alone. We need other voices and others speaking into us, helping us to see. The Holy Spirit uses gospel-centered community to be that voice and those eyes for us.

Obviously, if we as leaders do not have a community of trusted believers to walk closely with, then our leadership will be stunted. We will continue to lead with blinders on and will fail to see our weaknesses in their proper light. We will stall our growth in the Lord. Learning to be led ourselves means our lives are marked by a growing obedience before Him. We first trust in the promises of God personally before expecting others to do the same.

As our leadership extends beyond learning to be led, we are entrusted with more and more responsibility. But even in all of this, the way we lead does not change. We lead by following, and we lead with the gospel. There should never be a time when these two points are not present in our leadership.

One other valuable note here to church leaders: Most of us will have the privilege of learning to lead others. This can come in the form of leading a new believer in his or her faith, or leading a small group or Sunday school class. But often overlooked is our calling to lead our families. This is our primary place of learning to lead others. Husbands are called to lead their wives, and parents are called to lead their children. Despite the nobility of our call to serve the body as a leader, we must champion our role as a leader in our home. Ineffectiveness and inattentiveness in this area will eventually lead to a lack of trusting, confident leadership in other areas.

Again, the environment may change and the responsibility of influence may be more widespread, but the manner in which we lead does not change. We are anchored by the truth that we are a people under authority, given charge to faithfully lead others in the provision and sufficiency of the gospel.

Motivations Matter: Why One Leads

The end does not justify the means. The means matter.

Jesus put a spotlight on our motivations in the Sermon on the Mount when He decried those who merely possessed a cleaned-up outward behavior yet harbored faulty motivations in the heart. The religious leaders of the day lived as if outward actions alone were sufficient. Murder and adultery were seen only as physical acts, but Jesus declared them first to be postures of the heart—a heart filled with anger and lust before the actions are ever demonstrated. In fact, He was bold enough in His teaching to say that a person who burns with anger or lust is called a murderer and adulterer. Jesus was moving the pervasive paradigm away from outward morality to see that the problem lies inside. The problem lurks within. Our motivations matter to Jesus. The heart of a gospel-centered leader is compelled by the love of Christ and constrained by the fear of the Lord.

In a society enamored with results, we would be foolish to pretend that this same outward mind-set has not bled into the culture of the Church as well. Results, yes, are a good thing. The Church should maintain goals and metrics and plans for achieving certain benchmarks. But what are empty results if we lose our soul along the way? One result each leader should be striving for is a heart that is right before the Lord in its ambitions and motivations.

In 2 Corinthians 5 we gain a picture of righteous gospel motivations. The chapter begins by stating that a right desire for the future leads to right ambitions in the present. Our confidence in Christ’s promises of the future should be a key motivator for us—a gospel motivation.

Paul paints a picture of the permanence of our eternal home in the heavens, a home that God Himself is constructing. All of our earthly groaning will finally subside when we receive our newly glorified body. The Holy Spirit guarantees this will be accomplished for those who love and trust in Jesus (2 Cor. 5:1–5). This is the believer’s view of heaven, and this view impacts (or motivates) our lives in the present. Since our present actions contain eternal implications, we make it our aim, Paul says, to please Christ in all things (5:6–10).

But that’s not all. The next section begins with Paul stating, “Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people” (v. 11 HCSB). The fear of the Lord should be a motivating factor for the gospel-centered leader. Unfortunately, we are often confused by the fear of the Lord. We tend to think of cowering away from a vindictive God who is ready to strike us. But a biblical understanding of the fear of the Lord actually draws us closer to the Father:

The true fear of God is a child-like fear. Some of the Puritans used to call it a “filial fear.” It is a combination of holy respect and glowing love. To fear God is to have a heart that is sensitive to both His God-ness and His graciousness. It means to experience great awe and a deep joy simultaneously when one begins to understand who God really is and what He has done for us. Therefore the true fear of God is not a fear that makes a person run away and flee from God. It is a fear that drives him to God. Love for God and fear of Him are, therefore, not at all incompatible. To think that they are is to fail to see the richness of the character of the God we worship. It is to ignore the way in which knowing Him in all of His attributes, and responding appropriately to Him, stretches our emotional capacities to their limit. Scripture portrays the fear of the Lord and the love of the Lord as companion emotions.5

Paul’s fear of the Lord and his sensitivity to the character and nature of God ultimately led him to persuade people. He knew that he was a man under authority commissioned by the Father to be His ambassador. And what was Paul trying to persuade people toward? He was persuading them to be reconciled to the God who loves them and has made a way for them through Jesus Christ.

So the fear of God was not the only motivating factor in Paul’s life, nor should it be in ours. The love of God accompanies healthy fear.

Second Corinthians 5:14 says, “For Christ’s love compels us . . .” The Greek verb translated “compels” in this verse is synecho, which carries with it the idea of being held together, hemmed in, sustained, and pressed. The word picture is of two walls closing around you, causing you to go in a certain direction or a particular way. Paul is saying here that the love of Christ motivated him to move in a certain way. He was hemmed in by Christ’s love and compelled to act. Why? Because . . . “if One died for all, then all died. And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised” (vv. 14–15 HCSB)—the One who loves them. Paul’s motivations, both the fear of the Lord and the love of Christ, lie squarely in the gospel.

The challenge for the leader, as with any believer, is the understanding that our motivations are always a mixed bag. There is never a time when we are entirely pure in our ambitions and motivations. So we place ourselves in danger when we mask our motivations. We must always remember—and never be surprised by the fact—that our hearts creatively generate justifications for why we do what we do. There is undoubtedly a dark side to leadership. We can be praised for our achievements while knowing full well that what motivated our hearts was a fear of failure, fear of man, or fear of rejection. Yet because we apparently achieved praiseworthy results, we easily become inoculated to our false motivations. This is like building a house of cards; it may look impressive at a glance, but the structure is weak and flimsy. If we lead in order to garner the approval of others or to substantiate our identity or worth, then people become a means to our end. They become either objects or obstacles to us. Whenever this happens, we are not loving them and desiring their greatest good in the gospel; rather, we are seeking our own perceived good or meeting our own needs. And ironically, what we are pursuing has already been accomplished for us in the gospel. Leading from false motives is not gospel-centered leadership; it is self-focused and self-protective leadership.

Yet thankfully, God provides grace even for this. His antidote for discovering the places where we’re masking our motivations, uncovering the dark side of leadership that we all struggle with, is found in the work of the Holy Spirit in the community of faith. Leaders of all people should be the first to move from the shadows to the light, making repentance a continual ethic in their lives. Our hearts, of course, will craft a myriad of reasons and rationales for why we cannot possibly be honest about our weaknesses, shortcomings, and sins. But recognize this as a scheme of the enemy to continue isolating you and leaving you content to lead from the shadows. The problem with living in the shadows is that there is just enough light for you to justify staying there.

The author of Hebrews writes, “Watch out brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception” (Heb. 3:12–13 HCSB). These verses bear a sense of urgency to them. The call is for the believer to be on close watch, not only for himself but for those around him as well. While standing guard, we are commissioned to encourage one another in the gospel promises, day in and day out, remaining disciplined in both introspection and inspection.

The word from Scripture to the leader desiring to be gospel-centered is: first, look within your own heart and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you concerning issues of sanctification. You are a work in progress, and to live any differently is to live deceived. There is too much at stake for your life personally and for those you have been called to lead. But coupled with honest introspection is the need for outside inspection. So, second, look to others for help in exposing impure motivations. A leader, just like all believers, needs his gospel-centered community to inspect his heart. We have blind spots, strongholds that won’t die easily. The author of Hebrews assumes a level of transparency, forthright communication, and nearness in the community of faith.

Far too often the leader has made the decision to create distance between himself and community. But the text gives no credence to such a decision. In fact, the text would say this decision is actually further evidence of one’s need for community. It cannot be said loudly enough or with too much emphasis: gaining leadership prestige or accomplishment and losing your soul is a worthless trade. Leaders have the unique opportunity to demonstrate before the ones they are given charge to lead, whether it be their family or their flock, that no healing is available in the shadows. There is no victory in the darkness. Jesus-centered leaders lead from the light of honesty and openness, trusting fully in Christ’s provision—and Christ’s provision alone—to make up for what is faulty in their leadership.

Leading with the End in Mind: The Goal of Jesus-Centered Leadership

In this chapter we have looked at the biblical testimony on leadership in order to gain a theological perspective on the subject. The ministry of the new covenant in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ further shapes and informs our perspective of leadership. Gospel-centered leadership, again, is God-focused, Christ-exalting, and Spirit-led influence toward a kingdom agenda. A gospel-centered leader is characterized less by the exemplification of certain personality traits and more by being united to the Person of Jesus Christ. When a leader is impacted by the gospel, it changes everything, every day. In short, gospel-centered leadership is essentially leading by following. The leader understands that he cannot afford to be flesh-directed in his leadership, but that he is to be led by the Holy Spirit in the context of community. And the way in which he leads matters as much as what his leadership produces. Gospel-centered leaders are compelled by the love of Christ and constrained by the fear of the Lord. We are challenged by the Scriptures to leave the shadows and lead from the light, unmasking false motivations.

In the end, therefore, the goal or aim of gospel-centered leadership is the formation of Christ in people who long to see the formation of Christ in other people. We are called to make disciples who make disciples. It should be clear from what we know about our own sanctification process that this is a slow, arduous calling requiring patience and perseverance. The question we need to keep asking in our leadership is, “Who or what are we leading them to?” In the end, our calling is to pursue faithful action before results. We will discuss this in greater detail in the following chapter.

God ultimately raises up leaders for one primary reason: His glory. He shows His power in our weakness. He demonstrates His wisdom in our folly. We are all like a turtle on a fence post. If you walk by a fence post and see a turtle on top of it, then you know someone came by and put it there. In the same way, God gives leadership according to His good pleasure.

Major Richard Winters of Easy Company was raised up in a unique and pivotal time in history. He supplanted a man, Hebert Sobel, who had the same opportunity to lead with heart, courage, and strength, but forfeited his occasion by his insecure and inept leadership. Sobel seemed to fear the success of others and stifled any leadership that bubbled up within the ranks. Winters, however, was just the opposite. His security and character allowed him to lead from a posture of humility.

The Band of Brothers miniseries ends by playing an interview with Winters as an elderly man, in which he quotes one of his men, Sergeant Mike Ranney: “I treasure my remark to my grandson who asked, ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ The man answered, ‘No, but I served in a company of heroes.’” Which type of leader will you be?