Leaders help others to accomplish great things

In the verse below is a list of men who were going nowhere until they met Jesus. He led them until they became anointed and became preachers.

Jesus led these people to accomplish great feats.  The great things they accomplished through their leader have surpassed time and race. 
Today, many centuries down the line, we still make references to these people who once walked this earth. 

And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.  And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,  And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils:  And Simon he surnamed Peter;  And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:  And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canannite,  And Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house. Mark 3:13-19.

Leadership

The leadership of Jesus had turned ordinary people into great achievers!  Through the influence of Jesus, they laid the foundations of the Christian Church with their very lives.  

Most of them died in the process of laying the foundation of the Church but thousands of years down the line, we still know their names.
If God has called you to lead, do not see it as just YOU accomplishing great things. See your call to leadership as an opportunity to help others to accomplish great things for God and themselves.  

See your call to leadership as an opportunity to lead some people to great heights! That is the heart of a true leader!  

Remember that leadership stems from the heart. The heart of a leader strongly desires to make people great. The pastor wants his congregation to attain their highest in their chosen fields. The teacher leading students in their academic work wants to see them become great professionals. Different leaders have this amazing desire for their followers! The Bible teaches us that the heart is the footing for all the things that men do.

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

Remember

Remember also that no one can really train you to be a leader. It must come from your heart! You must desire it! It comes by having the right heart! Do you have the heart of a leader? When you have the right heart, you do the right things. Until you see the heart of a leader, you will not be a true leader.  And until you see the heart of a leader for God, you do not really know him! 

If you are the head of a church or organisation and you try to suppress the achievements of others, I assure you that you do not have a true leader’s heart.  Jesus wanted his disciples to do greater things than he himself had done. 

He said to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:12). 

Jesus achieved many great things when He walked this earth. In fact, He did the most amazing miracles on earth.  
He went about doing good and healing many people of all their diseases. And yet, He desired that His followers would achieve greater things than He did. That is the heart of a leader!  

I often pray for the junior pastors around me that they would achieve great things for God.  I keep encouraging them and praying for them that they would rise mightily in ministry.  I see some people with gifts that I do not have.  I want my interaction with these people to help them accomplish great things for God.  

Leader

Every leader should have great goals for the people around him.  Consider their different gifts, strengths and abilities and help them to do great things. If you do not have these goals, I seriously doubt if you are a leader. 

The heart of a leader reveals who he is. 

A leader is someone who thinks about others.  He wants the people around him to do well. If you just think about yourself, you are not a leader!  

Do you help the people around you to accomplish great things with their lives? Use this as a litmus test and you will do well as a leader! 
A leader is genuinely concerned about his followers and the people around him. He has great hopes for their lives.  

The writer is the founder of the Lighthouse Group of churches.
E-mail: theaol@ymail.com