There are many definition for the words leadership and leaders. Just googling the word leadership gives you 122 million entries to look up. That is how desperately varied we are in defining what leadership is, some definitions of leadership are the following,

“The history of the world is but the biography of great men.” Thomas Carlyle, writer, historian

“Times produce the person and not the other way around.” Herbert Spencer, philosopher, social darwinist

“Leadership is influence.” J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership

“Leadership is influencing people.” John Maxwell, Leading from the lockers

“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of human nature.” Robert Greenleaf, The servant as leader

“A leader take people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the US

“Leadership is leading people to God’s agenda.” Henry and Richard Blackaby, Spiritual leadership

By giving definition to what a leader is, we are attempting to delineate what a leader is supposed to be and what he is not. The above quotes are attempts of some experts from varied backgrounds to give their definitions of what leadership means to them. Once we give a definition to leadership, it would then be easier to add the characteristics and types of what a leader is. Our first concern in this discussion is to get a general overview of leadership, give our definition for that and our reasons why this must be our definition. Carlyles’ definition of leadership, that the world is simply an agglomeration of the history of “significant men” greatly exaggerates his bias on men who accomplished history. The accomplishment of history can be misleading because not all civilizations have writers to record notable events at all times.

We would also fail to note the accomplishments of a group of people if we only become individual centric. Mr. Spencer’s definition of what leadership is all about fails to encompass the indomitable will of men, making it incomplete. While the next two definitions are similar, it does tell us that leadership is influence but what happens after that influence wanes? What spheres does it control or affect? These are not included in their definition. The other one presupposes that leadership must be service, one that must be conscious in leading by serving others first. And the last two which we agree that it is moving people towards where they ought to be, generally broadly defines what spiritual leadership is in our lives. Though all definitions are valid for some purposes by the authors, this writer adds another dimension and emphasis to that by defining spiritual leadership as “seeing and doing what God wants done” and leaders are “those who yield themselves as vessels of honor to rise up to this call.” What are inherent in this definition of spiritual leaders are the following:

1. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit

Leaders can be filled with either the world, that is their own wisdom and knowledge, or they can chose to be filled by the Spirit of God. The fruit of either is evident in the lives of leaders who are following their own agenda or following God’s agenda. The Spirit filled leader walks in the newness of life and in the power of the New Creation that greatly transcends the old creation. Because sin has evidently lowered the capacity of man to walk in righteousness and integrity, the Holy Spirit empowered man can overcome what others struggle with greatly. For example, Ronnie and Ben are two contrasting leaders, the first one leads by being a boss to the company while the other one though lower in rank than Ronnie obviously is well- liked by everyone because of his exuding character that is truly impeccable. He reads his Bible daily and attends cell meetings in his local church, and though not as eloquent as their company boss, he commands the respect of his peers and other employees.

They look up at him as the next in rank to their present boss. One time when the he was out in the canteen with his boss sipping a Mango Juice, his boss asked him, “what is your secret in being so plastic?” Ronnie was stunned. He never thought that showing a good behavior in the office could earn the stigma of his boss as hypocrite. “You are just the same as me, a wild boar deep inside,” he added. This remark took the attention of others in the canteen but Ronnie simply dodged the question away by telling his boss that he believes in the power of partnership. This quickly disarmed the antagonistic position of the boss and made him asked who was his Partner. Likewise, the Spiritual leader is supposed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If we are, we can distinguish that by asking ourselves what comes first in the morning from our mouths. Are you thankful for God? Are you praying daily for others and for yourself? Are you abiding in holiness?

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”(Galatians 5:22-24)

“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.” (Ephesians 5:18-19 NLT)

2. They work according to God’s agenda

No amount of carnal strength can keep a work on going indefinitely. That which is man’s will be burned and will never last, but that which originates from the heart of God will always bear fruit and lasting fruit to eternity. Monuments/sacraments are things that men have built over time to celebrate their exploits in the past but it is still that, a dead thing. The work that God breathes and imparts life is those that have been borne out of His heart for His purposes. This is why Ishmael has to be banished from Abraham’s presence because the inheritance of the son of promise cannot mix up with the son of the flesh.  Those works that were birthed out of our own strivings will be lost, and there will be a time to drive them away just as Abraham did to his son and to his concubine. When Jesus was asked about His works, He said He only did what “He saw His Father was doing” or in short, He did the things that His Father wants Him do.

In this statement is summarized the work ethics of all the great Christian leaders, they only did what they saw the Lord wants them do. Spiritual leadership to be effective must be borne out of intimate encounters with the Lord. Like the apostle John, we all need to lay our heads on His breast so that we could have His heart for this generation and fulfill His purposes. Passion is the definition of the rising generation that will possess all the promises of God. Reluctance and passivity entered the heart of Solomon when he started to compromise and gave his heart away to entertainment instead of the ways of repentance, worship and truth. When he begun to add more women than necessary for a King, he started the spiral towards the way of the harlot, worshipping another creature because of based desire. Those who love the Lord will be kept from such evil. This is what Jack Deere tells us that a passion for the Son of God conquers a thousand evil in our lives.

“Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel.” (John 5:19-20)

We can glean some truths from the above verses, first, the key to doing is seeing. And in order to see, it is the Father that shows these things. But again we are also told, that He does this because the Father loves the Son. Or in other words, the seeing and the doing comes because of the apparent love of the Father and the Son. As wonderful as having many works to broadcast before the world, the real secret of success of any leader is really his intimacy with the Lord. Developing this secret relationship must be our priority if we want to gain more fruits that will last. No one will be too heavenly minded that they will not be any good to earth. Those who give themselves in abandon to God, His Spirit will satisfy them without measure.

“For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21)

“…These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes…” (Revelation 14:4)

3. They have the character and will to do things God’s way

There is no falsehood, lame or blind in heaven. All the blemishes of earthly life have been cleansed away because of the perfection that came from the atonement of the blood of Christ. Though it does not seem as it looks like we are now perfect, God perfects us through the sufferings and trials that we experience in this world. Trials mold character because they bring endurance and faith that cannot be shaken. Untested faith remains with the person only but not as a seed broken down and offered in true worship before the Lord. Just as Jesus was like a grain of wheat broken for many so that it multiplied, our faith cannot grow unless tested by fire of sufferings and anguish. Trials as James saw them must be the way we must also see them, a chance to be promoted by the Lord.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)

As the Lord Jesus Himself declared, “everyone will be salted with fire” (Matthew 9:49), ordeals have a cleansing effect that are rarely seen under any given circumstances. It can purify the motives of person, clarify his vision and feed his purpose. “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15 NIV). Spiritual leadership costs nothing but standing for truth and the ability to navigate the press though unpopular it might be. Many would be leaders who are thronged by the crowds love to appear before the mob and wriggle their paper swords, trying to impress with their plastic painted banners. The character of a leader prevents him from engaging in deceit and living in hypocrisy because his only interest is to gain the commendation of the King who has send him as emissary in this world.

“Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” (Matthew 16:23)

Because Peter was inflated by the one of the greatest commendation ever been given to man by the Lord, he thought he could stop the purposes of God by trying to convince Him not to go to the cross any more. Such folly can happen to us if we do not realize that day by day we are battling  several voices in the world, the Lord, our own and the devil.  There can’t be any compromise. One must choose to serve the one he loves the most, either we are all the way for Jesus, or turn our backs from Him then hit the road to hell. There is no easy way for the path of the just.

“If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

4. They communicate God’s agenda to His people

Terence is a CEO of a business company in Makati which owns the franchise for mudworkZ, a group game of throwing mud to your opponents until all their shirts are ashen gray. He works full time and engages in writing for a Christian magazine. One time the board has decided to sell cigarettes and liquors as an added business within the premise of the business. Terence who is a Spirit-filled believer objected in horror to the proposal but the board won the most popular support from the employees.

What should Terence do? Another teacher from a private school named Manolo organized a creation club to support students who are believers in the account of the creation in the Bible. During one PTA meeting some parents who have liberal views tried to object in the new organization citing that this is an old-fashioned belief in a post-modern world. He was asked to write a justification for his organization and submit it to the principal for evaluation. After a week, his organization was given credits because of tolerance, character formation and academic freedom that it espouses. These two instances tell us that in this world we will face the scorn and ridicule of a ready enemy whose arrows have long been aimed to destroy anyone who ever thinks of taking back his dominion.

And yet, though this may be the case, spiritual leadership takes action and does not wait for the enemy to gain his grounds. Rather than not raising any single fight, the spiritual leader seeks to bring effective, and clear enunciation of godly principles even if this means giving up his position. Leaders do not give a budge without any fight even if this means losing everything. Jesus came to set the captives free, and to do that, He came and proclaimed the Kingdom of God. It cannot be anything less with us. The Kingdom has to come and invade the earth in every sphere of opportunity that we have in business, education, science, family, religion, government, and media. We have to become effective communicators and if we lack in that area, we must learn to collaborate with those who can do, or to bring trained others who can. Our generation must overcome the passivity of the past and lead toward the full purposes of God. If we do not learn how to speak out effectively, then we will be held accountable for the lost of other lives (Ezekiel 33:8).

“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.”( Acts 18:9-11 NLT)

“You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15)

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”(Philippians 2:3-4)

5. They live for tomorrow

The Lord once told me that as far as I can see, that is how far I can go. The first step He told me is to live for tomorrow and not for this perishing age. Our grasp of history, the future and our present epoch can have repercussions in the way we live our lives. Those who live only for the past will be drawn into depression and insanity while those who live for the present will not see the future. If we draw the lessons of the past, see the future and live today, we will almost certainly be with the Lord. But how about those who cover themselves with their own goodness? These are men and women who are dissipated and needing crutches to make their lives feasible today. They will not last. The only way is for us to find the Way, possess the Truth and live His Life today (see John 14:6). Unless man repents and be born again, how can he possess the divine nature of God that could clothe him with eternity? Those who lived for tomorrow are those men and women who also have given their lives for God’s eternal purposes. They reached eternity because they lived for tomorrow. If we forget to blush with the slightest sin and compromise, we are endangered in having walked on dangerous grounds. Spiritual leadership must move people not only where they are now, but into their destiny that God has for them, and that is glorious eternity.

“O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.” (Ezra 9:6 NLT)

“Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame.” (Jeremiah 3:3 NIV)

“And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.”(John 17:3)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…” (1 Timothy 6:12)

II. Five essential traits of spiritual leadership

1. Vision-the eyes of the leader beholds the panorama of how far, how wide and how long he can go in the revealed purposes of God. Vision takes precedence in the life of leader because he must see so that he can lead others. The lack of vision sounds the death knell to any existing enterprise or organization. It is by having a vision that we can understand and see how many more steps we need to get nearer to what God called us to do. Just as Jesus said that the eye is the lamp of the body, without vision we will only see darkness or we will remain confused, bewildered, and end up walking in the assembly of the dead. Life without vision is also a life that lacks purpose and is as good as dead. It is calling forth one that does not exist yet to become one.
2. Courage-courage is the indomitable will of the leader to persist even when things have gone awry. It is completing the task that one has started regardless of circumstances. The recent story of the five fishermen that drifted ashore to Micronesia from their starting point in the Davao Gulf tells us how much endurance and steadfastness these men have. They endured even when the only thing they could see was a vast blue sea and their skins blistered under the heat of the sun. Their courage to live even when things seem hopeless bear fruit when a Japanese boat spotted them drifting near the islands of Micronesia. It was terrible, but in the same way, true leaders never give up. When Winston Churchill blurted out to his people that they must stop Hitler now, he only received castigation by the press and the government. However upon Hitler’s attack of Poland, the sinister heart of the dictator only came into full view before the Britons and the French, too late for them to put a stand against the war machine that Der Fuhrer has accumulated and produced in the past four years. Such discernment and insight of Churchill made him both loved and unpopular at the same time. Nevertheless, true leaders are not easily swayed by the opinion of others, they stand for their own even if this means foolhardy.
3. Patience-patience is discipline under pressure. Almost everyone nowadays have their own profiles and visions. Yet few seem to achieve what they have elegantly written in prose at their doors. Though many profess to have faith, or to have visions, few possess the discipline to grow and cultivate their vision little by little until like the seawater that covered a pool, it has spread all over. Certainly, it takes no discipline to simply scatter around the seed of a squash and then watch it grow. In contrast, a Mahogany or Narra tree takes time to grow and deepen its roots, the crown is just a reflection of the branching roots deep underground. Big trees are well rooted, anchored deep and stable, they show us the leader who possess the discipline in this life. Disciples are supposed to be the most disciplined people in the world because one cannot really follow Christ who does not learn to discipline himself.  Those who lack patience cannot inherit the promises of God (see Hebrews 6:12).
4. Integrity-integrity means living right. It is honoring God not just during Sundays but even when no one is looking around. Those with integrity walk with blameless hearts. Like Daniel, the only thing that critics should find accusation in us is our relationship with God, that we are praying too much time with Him. Even the apostles were accused because they were with Jesus. To walk therefore in integrity is to walk in true authority. No one can ask anybody with true authority without having first learned to be  obedient to his own words. Others obey us, only when we have been faithful in obeying others too. Without obedience, one cannot command others to obey. The life that we live is the greatest message that we can have in this world. When a man of God sins, part of his integrity is marred, it is hard to recover a good name that is destroyed by one careless act.
5. Initiative-living with initiative does not mean coercing others. No, it means planning what needs to be done and doing it creatively so that you have done it the smart way. Leaders do not wait for others to do what they can do as long as they understand what needs to be done and they knew how to employ the necessary tool to do it. One should never refuse to do what they can actually do. Our refusal and underestimation of talents could cause us to bury and forget the deposit of good seed which the Lord has given us. Everything starts with a seed, so none should despise the day of small beginnings. A prosperous business has only prospered because someone took the initiative to establish it. If we do not take risk and make mistakes on the way, we have not really entered the real world of discipleship. Everyone stumbles in some ways but the wise always learns to get up because they knew this is never the end and there is hope to begin again. (Transcript of lecture delivered by Bro. Edison Macusi on October 25 at Kiangan, Ifugao for the NHAC-CYF Leadership Training Institute)