Leaders Inspire
by David Eubanks
A major responsibility of a good leader is to inspire: to motivate people to release their creative juices and give their best in service to the Master. I am a better servant of the Lord because of the inspiration of certain preachers and teachers, a few of my heroes in the history of the United States and other parts of the world, but, most of all, of some of God's chosen leaders in both Old and New Testaments.
What are the qualities of a Christian leader that inspire others to rise above themselves and do for the Lord and His Kingdom what they could not or would not have done otherwise? I am only going to mention four because of the brevity of space, but double that number could have been discussed.
The first quality is Enthusiastic Optimism. It is hard to get people to buy something from you that you are not sold on yourself. “Blah” will not cut it in the Kingdom of God. Did not Jesus say to the church of Laodicea in Revelation, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew you out of My mouth?” Joshua, Caleb, and David exemplified this kind of optimism to the fullest in their leadership roles. When fear gripped the children of Israel because of the giants that inhabited the Promised Land, keeping them from obeying God's command to begin the conquest of Canaan, Joshua and Caleb countered with optimistic entreaties that the giants were “bread” to be eaten with God's help (Num. 14:9, KJV, NET, NKJV, NRSV, RSV) and that He would take away the protection of their enemies and give Israel the victory.
Forty years later, the people did follow Joshua's leadership in beginning the conquest of Canaan. Five years later Caleb, now 85 and roughly twice his age when he and Joshua had made their urgent plea to Israel, chose as his inheritance in the Promised Land the giant-inhabited mountainous region of Hebron. His enthusiasm and optimism had not diminished as he declared, “I am as strong as the day that Moses sent me...Now therefore give me this mountain.” The young giant-killer David, with enthusiastic optimism, rushed out to meet Goliath. In the face of the veteran champion’s taunts, with only a small sling and a few stones, declaring that he did not come “with sword, spear, or javelin,” but “in the name of the Lord,” David affirmed that “'the battle is the Lord’s.” That kind of optimism inspired the nation of Israel, as it will all who have Christian leaders who set that kind of example.
The second quality is Vision. Good leaders are visionaries. They are able to see beyond the problem to the solution. Being in tune with God, they are able to see with His eyes. With His help they are able to visualize projects that will advance His Kingdom and lead in their completion. Nehemiah was one of the greatest visionaries in history. Not having seen the destroyed walls of Jerusalem, merely hearing a relative’s description of them, he developed a vision to rebuild the walls from hundreds of miles away in a foreign land. He took on serious risk to himself many times: when he enlisted the help of his King in the project, made the long and arduous journey to Jerusalem, inspired and led the people of Jerusalem to give their best efforts to the work (even though they had just met him), and further inspired the people to complete the seemingly impossible task in the face of stern and repeated opposition from enemies of the project.
The third quality is Humility. On this score, Kingdom leadership transcends leadership in the world. Pride may work in the world, but it will not inspire in the church. Acting superior, demanding your own way, always being right, do not inspire. A humble spirit of service is better every time. Jesus Christ, creator of this universe and the greatest leader who ever lived was, at the same time, the most humble servant to walk this earth. Paul nailed it on the head in Philippians 2, when he wrote, “Have this attitude in you that was in Christ Jesus,” going on to describe Jesus’ humble journey from equality with God at His right hand, to becoming a human being, to taking the role of a servant, and, finally, to dying an ignominious death on the cross. That example has inspired countless millions to follow him, many to a martyr's death rather than deny their allegiance to Him.
The fourth quality is Persistence. Leadership in the Kingdom is seldom sunshine and smooth water. Christ never promised that fulfilling His commission to evangelize the world would be easy. In fact, He prophesied just the opposite. Nehemiah had his Tobias and Sanballat, determined to sabotage work at every hand, but he would not give up. Joseph was sold into slavery, sent to prison because of the false accusation of his master's wife, and languished in prison two unnecessary years because of the ungrateful neglect of Pharaoh's cup bearer. But he would not give up. He persisted and ultimately became the savior of the Egyptians and the countries around them, but, even more important, the family of Jacob through whom the promised Messiah would eventually come. Moses, a leader to whom the writer of Hebrews compares his perseverance to Jesus’s, would not give up on the children of Israel or God, in the face of chronic and persistent complaining by the people, their idolatry, their misrepresentation of him and his motives, and even an attempt to kill him. He persisted in leading them, after a forty-year delay in the wilderness, to the edge of the Promised Land, in spite of the fact that he was not allowed to enter.
Men, whatever else you do, in the face of hardships and difficulties, don't quit. Heed the admonition of Hebrews 12:1, “Run with persistence the race that is set before you,” and inspire others to follow you.
Dr Eubanks with Dr Johnson at the 2017 NACC
