“I am an excelling leader” and Other Fictional Works

You discuss church-planting strategies early in the morning.

You are called to speak at pastors’ conferences.

You disciple & nurture multiple church members late into the night.

You try to bring around reluctant, eccentric and thankless church members to the congregation.

You juggle managing church service & your wife & children.

That makes two of us. Jesus Christ said your addition and my addition to God’s kingdom-building is a sum total of ZERO.

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'”- Luke 17:10

When you tell yourself you are an excellent church leader, you are indulging in fiction.

Note that Jesus says you are unworthy even after you do EVERYTHING that God has commanded you (Have you done? Will you ever do?). It is stunning that Christ sees us as His precious bride but remember – you and I are as useful as empty vessels. God our Father is like a wealthy house-wife, who will use her vessels as she pleases. Dirty vessels won’t be used for serving others. (see 2 Tim 2:20,21). The leaders at the three new Marg churches in Pune face larger responsibilities and so will other leaders emerging in the coming years.

What can make your church leadership useless to God’s mighty work?

Here are some pointers Marg leaders could benefit from:

Beware of the subtle, wicked attitude of breeding competition between churches in the name of missions and holiness.

Beware of creeping distrust between church leaders and lack of unity in prayer.

A lack in the desire for others’ works to be more blessed than your own.

The sin of laziness and the sin of organized lack of dependence on God the Holy Spirit.

Piling up complaints in your mind against Jesus’ church, His chosen bride.

May this post be helpful to you in pointing your church to the Lord Jesus as the excellent leader more and less to yourself. Feel free to contribute by sharing things that can help church leaders better. May you happily serve Christ as a junior shepherd .