“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
    my chosen one in whom I delight;

‘Jesus Driven Ministry’, by Ajith Fernando, is one of my all time favourite books on Christian leadership. It’s a volume to keep going back to, full of godly wisdom and Biblical insight. It shows clearly that Christlikeness is fundamental to leadership in the church. By the Holy Spirit, we are to grow increasingly into the likeness of Jesus, the ultimate Servant of the Lord.

Here are two things that were true for Jesus, and can be proved true in the experience of every church leader:

  • God will ”uphold” you. Whatever you are facing, He will strengthen you, so that you can stand in the evil day, and having done all things to still be standing. The devil wants you on your back, but God will keep you on your feet if you trust Him, and use all the armour He provides (Eph.6:10ff.);
  • God the Father delights in you. This is supremely true of Jesus (Mt.3:17), but it is also true of everyone who is in Jesus. He sees us not in our sin, but in His Son. How important it is for leaders to grasp this point. He is not well-pleased with us because of our performance, but because we are positioned by grace in Jesus. His attitude towards His Son is His attitude towards us. This is not to say that our work doesn’t matter – that we can be careless or casual about our approach. But it is, rather, to affirm that we don’t earn God’s approval by our labours. He is pleased with us as those clothed with the Lord Jesus.