God's goal for all Christians is spiritual maturity. By following Jesus' example, we can learn to lead.

Part 1: 2 Timothy 2:14-16; 1 John 4:7-12

Radical love

In a class in which I was a student several years ago Professor Mance Jackson told unbelievable horror stories regarding his first pastorate. He was called to a troubled church and felt totally unequipped to lead the congregation. His stories of congregational search-and-destroy missions, programmatic and personal sabotage, and conflict between church members were both spellbinding and terrifying. Although he gave us scattered stories of God-fearing people who helped him endure some of his initial trials, it was not enough to cure the "heart-pounding" trauma created by hearing his painful experiences.

I was totally unconvinced that love was the key to resolving some of the conflicted situations he described. Surely there had to be a more profound process to rid the church of these troublesome people. I was convinced that their behavior had to be eradicated by more stringent means. Simply put, by "kicking them out"!

In his second letter to Timothy Paul writes, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth" (2:15). Paul is instructing Timothy and other church leaders to demonstrate the spiritual discipline required to lead God's people. He uses phrases such as "avoid profane chatter," "shun youthful passions," "pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace." Wow!

Now Paul walks into Jackson's class and writes on the chalkboard, "The Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will" (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Paul is encouraging Timothy, and us, to trust the nature of God no matter how much confusion exists.

God is love (1 John 4:8). Therefore authentic spiritual leadership is based in love. Christian spiritual leadership is based on knowing Jesus and his love while committing to follow his example. All who know Jesus Christ are called to be leaders by the way we choose to live. At the core of our daily walk, we are called to lead through the example of Jesus' love for God and God's people.

If the essence of God is love, then anything opposed or contrary to love is ungodly. Love is not mushy! It requires tremendous faith and courage. In his book The Growing Edge Howard Thurman writes about the radical nature of love that is required to love our enemies. He writes: "We know that we ought to want to love our enemies, but we don't want to. So we use a lot of phrases such as: I will love her or him for Christ's sake, but I don't like her or him."*

We hear "I love the sinner but hate the sin," which in some cases provides a superficial license to demean other people. Such tactics allow us to avoid breaking through the barriers to our Christian calling to love. They inhibit us from reflecting on what it means to love persons who are different or who struggle with human dilemmas and weaknesses. So we may lose opportunities to demonstrate the love of Christ in us in order to grow beyond indifference, prejudice and bitterness.

Paul reminds Timothy that his calling to lead a spiritual life for Christ must be exhibited through the love that is revealed from inside. Timothy cannot love others without loving God enough to pursue the spiritual high ground. Nor can we. Jackson was revealing one of the clearest messages of the gospel: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul .... Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37, 39).