Follow Christ Completely

The idea that a leader is a disciple who follows Christ completely is key to being the kind of leader Jesus calls. When Jesus called His disciples He simply said: “Follow Me.” What did Jesus expect of His disciples with this statement? Faith, believing that He was the Messiah. Complete trust, understanding that He was their Savior who would save them from their sins. Full commitment to Him, knowing that He was their Lord who would guide them to be the new creations He would make them to be.

(Matthew 16:24) “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’” As a leader you follow Christ believing, understanding, and knowing who He is and why you are following. As a follower of Christ you then become a leader by being an example of a disciple to those you are leading. You are leading others to the One who is leading you, and who needs to lead them.

A faithful leader for Christ must then be different than the worldly standard for leadership in that they deny themselves and acknowledge Christ. They seek to help others comprehend how attaining great things for the kingdom of God happens when Christ is the One who empowers and sets the plan. A leader will seek to lead with these questions in mind: “How am I leading others to Christ?” “How am I challenging those I am leading to follow faithfully?” “How am I furthering the kingdom of God through my leadership?” “How am I exemplifying “deny myself” so others will follow?”