Bible Leadership Endures Hardship, Works Hard, and Communicates Creatively

Paul describes what bible leadership is in II Timothy Chapter 2:1-7. This article will focus on verses three through seven. You can go to Biblical Leaders to read about verses one and two.

Verse three says, "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus". (NIV) Paul reminds him of the hardships he will face in bible leadership. We know in detail some of the hardships that Paul faced: he was stoned, beat with a cat of nine tails, he went hungry, he was shipwrecked, left out in the elements for long periods of time, worked hard with his hands, and was continuously concerned in his mind about the welfare of all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11:23-28) It is good to note that Paul did not just tell Timothy to endure hardships, but that Paul set the example for Timothy as to how hardships should be endured. Paul's leadership to Timothy was shown by example, and not be teaching only.

Jesus also showed His disciples how to endure hardships by the example He set. Jesus faced the harsh criticism of the religious leaders of His day, and His disciples witnessed it. He ultimately faced death upon a cross, and His disciples witnessed it. We can see in the book of Acts how His disciples followed His example in enduring hardship from the religious leaders, and we know by tradition that most of His disciples ultimately followed Jesus in death for what they believed. While today we may not face the same sort of hardships that Jesus, Paul, Timothy, and the other disciples faced, all leaders will face hardships, and it is good to look at Biblical accounts to see how to endure them.

In the second part of verse three Paul refers to Timothy as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. This leads into verse four which states: "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs. He wants to please his Commanding Officer". (NIV) Those in bible leadership must realize that their authority is not in and of themselves, but that it comes from Jesus Christ, and that ultimately He is the one whom they will have to answer to. This acknowledgment of Jesus as the Commanding Officer should influence the vision and conduct of those in bible leadership.

Paul is calling Timothy to a higher standard in that there are some aspects of life he will have to sacrifice in order to please Jesus, his Commanding Officer. Being a Christian leader is not a position to be taken lightly. James says, "we who teach will be judged more strictly". (James 3:1 NIV) Jesus said "those who have been given much, much will be demanded". (Luke 12:48 NIV)

Verse five says, "Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete he does not receive the victors crown unless he competes according to the rules". This verse is similar to verse four in that it is also encouraging Timothy to please his Commanding Officer. Unless he competes and acts according to the rules, God will not be pleased with his end result. Many times in leadership the philosophy of "the end justifies the means" is very prominent. Sometimes even in bible leadership corners will be cut for the sake of meeting goals and objectives. This is not bible leadership.

The good soldier of Jesus Christ will know that their Commanding Officer wants them to act with integrity at all times. Character is very important to God and ultimately this character will make a person a more effective leader. If followers know they can trust their leader because of their past record of honesty and integrity, they are much more likely to follow and get on board with whatever that leader proposes.

Verse six says, "The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops". This is an encouragement to Timothy that his hard work and persistence will eventually pay off, but he must continue this hard work until the fruits of his labor are evident. In the same way, a leader who is persistent and does not give up on their goals and vision will receive the satisfaction of seeing their vision come to pass.

Verse seven states: "Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all of this". In this verse, Paul is creating an atmosphere for learning within Timothy in that he did not describe verbatim everything he wanted Timothy to know. Rather, he used creative word pictures which suggested to Timothy what Paul wanted to get across. This allowed Timothy to think and meditate, and receive inspiration from the Lord concerning what Paul was trying to say. The use of images and word pictures is a powerful mode of communication in bible leadership. It sticks with the hearers and gives them something tangible to hold on to concerning the leaders direction.

If Christian leaders today followed the example of Paul's bible leadership toward Timothy, many capable Christian leaders could be trained and developed. There is a great need for Christian leaders today who: are strong in the grace of the Lord, who can endure hardships, who want to please God, who are full of integrity, and who work hard. With these type of leaders the cause of Christ and His Kingdom are sure to advance and fulfill the mission which Christ intended for us to fulfill.