Leadership is essential to the expansion of the kingdom of God on earth. It should be discussed more in Christian churches than it is. The Old Testament in particular is filled with examples. I’m glad I’m part of a church that has leadership as one of it’s three core values and is committed to training Christians to become leaders and world-changers.

Leadership is influence

One of the cool things about leadership is that it takes many forms. One doesn’t have to be the top guy or gal in an organization to lead. Authority-based leadership is only form. In it’s broadest sense leadership is influence, as the Bible illustrates.

The Old Testament highlights examples of leadership by those with seemingly no power under the authority of repressive regimes yet who excercised influence with those in authority to change the world.

Joseph Influenced Pharaoh

Joseph was elevated from a prisoner to the chief administrator over Egypt and was responsible for influencing Pharaoh to save the empire from famine. As a result, Joseph helped preserve the royal Jewish line through which Jesus would come.

Daniel influenced Babylonian leaders

Daniel rose from near-slave status to the third most powerful man in Babylon, influencing Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and helping preserve his people during the transition from the Babylonian to the Persian empires.

Mordecai influenced Xerxes

Mordecai went from being an ordinary foreigner in Susa to a favored man in the Court of the Persian ruler, Xerxes. He influenced Xerxes to save the Jewish people under Persian rule from genocide. And, of course, Esther went from being an ordinary Jewish girl in a foreign nation to queen to the most powerful man in the world and, like Mordecai, helped influence him to save her people from genocide.

Influence is available even under oppressive regimes

It surprises me then when I hear Christians say the world is so anti-Christian the kingdom of God cannot succeed on earth unless Jesus comes back and imposes His rule on people. As demonstrated in the examples above, influence is almost always available even when authority-based leadership is not. That is one of the reasons Jesus’ servant-leadership is so powerful: it is almost always available.

I believe these three prominent Old Testament examples were given to show us, who would receive the Kingdom, that perfect conditions are not necessary for Kingdom growth or influence to prevail. The Kingdom doesn’t require Christian hegemony such as existed during the Byzantine Empire to flourish; nor does it need authority-based leadership. It did pretty well, for example, under the oppressive Roman Empire.

The kingdom of God does need leadership though–Christians willing to risk all to influence others for Jesus. GS