MAN AS A LEADER

LEADERSHIP

Some people regard leadership as a mysterious, charismatic quality which some people have and others don’t have. It can also be seen as a skill that many people can develop if they are willing to take time. It takes sensitivity, humility and love to develop one’s skills as a leader and takes a number of years of practice.

Who is a leader?

One who influences people to achieve a purpose or task.

Man’s Authority (Ruler ship).Gen.1:26,27

This was given before leadership was given. Gen 2:5. There was no man to till the ground.

                                                                        God’s Breath

                                                                                    |

                                    Dust………………………………………>Living Soul

Man was to do the following:

1) To dress the garden-       Work

            2) To keep it-                         Sustain/Security

Then God commanded (gave authority) to Man. Gen. 2:16.

Before here Man was alone hence not a leader for no one can be a leader without a people that he is leading. Man hence became a leader after the creation of the woman.

Leader: Rev. 5:11-14- Lucifer, one of the leading angels, understood about God’s plan to create man, he then rebelled against God. Lucifer wanted to be above God’s throne. He wanted the position and authority that God had planned for mankind. He wanted to rule all creation from above God’s Throne in heaven. Rev 12:4, Is 14:12-14.

Satan evil plans and ambitions did not change and so he set about another plan to try and usurp (unlawfully take) God’s throne. He went after the man God had created.

God gave man authority over all the earth and told him to keep it under his dominion and gave him two trees of protection.

1)     First tree      :the tree of life ( to eat). This represented the life and authority of God himself.

2)     Second tree: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ( not to be eaten). This represented Satan’s life and authority.

The dominion of the whole creation would always be his if he obeyed the loving God. Heb. 2:8, Gen. 2:15-17. Man then left his ruler ship/headship to Satan’s dominion (ruler ship /headship).

 Christ Example of Leadership

Phil. 2:5 Let your attitude towards life be that of Christ. Though He was King of the Kingdom He became a servant.

Leadership is servanthood.

Jesus is the perfect example of what leadership is and reflects what the true citizen of his Kingdom is like.

HOW TO RECOGNISE A LEADER

• Observe how many followers there are. If no one is following, you do not have a leader. Example: ‘Lead Cow’. Other cows follow it.

• Ministry of a leader. He is always finding more leaders and training them. He delegates.
• Leaders are not necessarily academics or rich people. The greater emphasis on academics, the less capable the leadership.
• Leaders are labourers. The effective leader is one who has proven that he knows how to work hard. He has learnt the discipline of strenuous productive labour. Graduates are often arrogant, too proud to work, lazy and unproductive.
• Find a ‘leader –labourer’ and you will have a productive leader.
• Leaders must be hard working people.