Follow the Leader
I don’t know about you, but one of the first things I learned in school was a game called “Follow the Leader.”
You remember how this game works? One person is chosen as the leader, & everyone else has to follow them in a straight line.
When you’re in elementary school, this is a must. You have to learn how to do this. If you can’t learn how to walk in a straight line & follow the leader, the next few years of your life are going to be painful!
There’s a reason the game is called, “Follow the Ledaer.”
Because…
You can’t lead from behind.
By definition, leaders are out front. Leaders go first. Leaders lead the way. Leaders don’t lead from behind. They might lead by example. They might lead quietly & with great humility. But, by definition, leaders LEAD.
The Problem with Leadership
We learn from an early age how to follow the leader.
Our problem is that, at least these days in our culture, in our political climate, in a world where many big companies have had major scandals involving their leaders, in a church world where many spiritual leaders have fallen, our problem is that people don’t trust their leaders.
And when people don’t trust their leaders they can’t follow their leaders.
And when people don’t follow their leaders, they have no direction, no mission, no focus & no destination.
So what do we do in a world when, generally speaking, people don’t trust their leaders?
What do we do in a church world where, generally speaking, people are hesitant to trust the leadership?
Here’s what I think is true… Most leaders loose the TRUST of the people they lead when they loose CLARITY around the DIRECTION they’re leading.
Why + Where
If we’re at school & the teacher lines us up to walk down the hallway, the first thing that teacher will do is tell the leader what the destination is. Ok… lead the way to the playground. Because the leader knows the destination, he or she can lead the group to where they want to go!
And you know what’s amazing. The leader & the group can face obstacles on the way. They can face difficulties on the way. But because they know where they’re going, they can adapt & find their way.
They may be walking down the hall on the right side & be blocked by another group of students who are hanging posters on the wall. No problem, the leader can lead the group around the road block & keep moving toward their destination.
They can navigate past boxes on the floor, other classes lining up, whatever the obstacle… no problem. As long as they know their final destination they can lead the way, adapt as neccessary along the way, to get to where they want to go.
Why? Because leaders know where they are going.
When leaders know WHERE they’re going & WHY they need to LEAD those they lead to that destination, people will FOLLOW.
Biblical Leadership
I think this is important because this is a model for biblical leadership.
Here’s the deal, all of us are leaders of something, in some way. The question is not, do we lead? The question is, Will we lead those we lead they way Jesus led?
You may lead your family, you may be a leader in your work, in your school, in your friend group, in your ministry… all of us have the incredible task of self leadership. In whatever way you lead the goal is to lead more like Jesus because part of becoming like Jesus is learning to lead like Jesus.
For Jesus, leadership is a lot like being a shepherd.
I know you probably don’t know much about shepherds. I don’t either. Most of us didn’t grow up in a context where we saw shepherds & sheep walking across town. But this was what life was like for Jesus, for Israel throughout their history & for the people Jesus led.
Jesus + Leadership
Here’s what Jesus once said about Himself. I think it points to Jesus’ leadership.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and LEADS them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he WALKS AHEAD of them, and THEY FOLLOW him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”
Jesus says that a GOOD SHEPHERD LEADS his sheep. He WALKS AHEAD! That sheep know the VOICE of their shepherd. That sheep FOLLOW their shepherd.
And then Jesus says this to a group of people who see themselves as the shepherds of Israel, as the spiritual leaders of the people of God but have failed in that calling. Jesus looks at them & says…
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”
Jesus says… you’re not the shepherd of the people of God. You can’t be trusted. People don’t follow your lead.
I AM the Good Shepherd! And here’s how you know. Here’s the proof. My sheep, they know my voice. They follow my lead.
In other words… You can follow Jesus because He always goes FIRST & He always goes WITH.
[Tweet “You can follow Jesus because He always goes FIRST & He always goes WITH.”]Follow His Lead as You Lead
Here’s what we know is true:
When you follow the lead of Jesus you NEVER walk alone.
[Tweet “When you follow the lead of Jesus you NEVER walk alone.”]Maybe this is the next qurstion you need to ask yourself: In what area of life do you need to follow the leading of Jesus?
Before you try to lead anyone or anything, you have to make sure you’re following the lead of Jesus. Otherwise, you will ultimately fail. Becoming a great leader begins by becoming a great follower.
And as you learn to follow the Good Shepherd, you’ll learn to become a good shepherd. You’ll learn to lead those you lead like Jesus.
We should all aspire to be shepherds because Jesus was a shepherd. And He has given all of us something to shepherd.
Something to lead.
Maybe it’s our family. Maybe it’s a ministry. It could be in your work. Or in those you mentor, teach or coach.
We are all called to lead like Jesus in the area of our life that he has given us to lead.
The question is not, Will we lead?
But… Will we lead what we lead like Jesus?
