My most Fascinating Post Ever...

It has to be the one about the leadership ability of the manager of the Front End of the super market that I work in.

The post has spawned some interesting off-the-blog conversation.

I am steadfast in my conviction that the only leader in a kingdom is the king. I've been critical of the desire of, mostly, men who hold positions of authority in the institutional church, to declare themselves to be leaders and to set, for themselves, the task of developing other leaders.

I've pointed out that, as far as I can tell, no one actually follows those people and that they aren't inspiring anyone and that the whole leadership development scheme has been, to this point, a colossal bust.

Yet,...

...while Jesus taught servanthood, even telling the Twelve to aspire to be the slave of all, not to be like the leaders of the Gentiles...

...while He was praised, among early disciples, because He made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant who humbled Himself and became obedient to death...

...He did challenge people: "Come, follow me."

While leadership is only the king's and, in the Kingdom of God, leadership...GREATNESS...is defined by self-denial and service of, even, the least of these...

...being followed is essential to the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

I've said. And, I say. This is not about being a leader in any way that people outside of the Kingdom of God speak of leadership.

Jesus didn't call it leadership.

Jesus didn't train or develop leaders.

The early disciples who were essential to the expansion of the Kingdom didn't think of themselves as leaders.

("Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle..." [Rom. 1:1])

Whatever it is that the institutional church's self-proclaimed leaders are chasing after, two things are true about it.

1. It's definitely real.
2. It's not leadership.

It seems to me that, in hoping to be leaders who are developing leaders, our self-proclaimed leaders are looking to the world for their wisdom.

They are not looking to Jesus and the early Christian movement.

And...and who can dispute this?...they are failing.

And, they will fail.

Let's turn, not to the world, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Let's read the Word with open hearts and minds.

Let's learn lessons from the history of the Kingdom.

Let's repent of worldly ways.