Are you a real leader or just a rockstar who can attract a crowd?

I have been challenged to rethink what I used to know about leadership. There have been a few people recently, who have caused me to wonder if the amount of followers leaders have is even that important. See, I had always (secretly) hoped that someday I would be a leader who had thousands of people flocking around me to hear what I had to say. That was what my dream of greatness looked like - me, on a stage with a sweet light show and wearing a trendy outfit while spewing my buckets of wisdom... Sounds real biblical, huh?

But then I met some people who had all of that. They seemed like the perfect leaders, but somehow they weren't leading anyone. In fact, they refused the leadership opportunities that were placed right in front of them because it involved service more than spotlights. For them, the idea of leadership was less about actually leading people to something greater, and more about attracting people to themselves. 

When I saw this in other people (because it was easier to see it in other than see it in myself), I learned something very important: Leaders lead, and great leaders lead to great places. Notice what I didn't say: Leaders attract, and great leaders attract more. A rockstar does that, not necessarily a leader. Leaders go somewhere and people follow them to that place. And the place that leaders take people is far more important than how many people they are taking there. When it comes to leadership, it doesn't matter how many people are following you as much as where you are going.

Jesus has called his people to lead others to him. This is the greatest form of leadership: making everything in your life about leading others to Jesus. And this form of leadership is starkly contrasted with what lots of people (and I used to be one of them) think of as leadership: being a rockstar and attracting loads of people to themselves. This may be the American Dream, but this is not Jesus' dream for his people. Jesus has called you to lead others to him. And if you are leading people, Jesus makes it clear that this road is paved with service and sacrifice, not power moves and popularity.

Jesus said,

"The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12

And then he modeled this kind of leadership. On the one night that he could have afforded to take a little bit of pleasure in for himself - the night that he was going to sacrifice his very self in the greatest act of leadership EVER - he chose to serve rather than be served. Check out John 13:3-14 for this account. For Jesus, it was less about how many people saw him do that, and less about power moves and popularity, and more about leading his followers to something greater.

So my question to you is: are you leading or just attracting?

Don't waste the gift that God has given you today. Lead others. Lead them to him.

Alexander, king of Macedonia.
Antiochus III, ruler of the Seleucid Empire.
Charlemagne, Emperor of Rome.
Cyrus I, founder and ruler of the Persian Empire.
Henry IV, king of France.
Ivan III, czar of Russia.
Ramesses II, pharaoh of Ancient Egypt.

Who are all of these people? Every one of these men are leaders whose names has been given the suffix, "The Great." Each one of them was considered by their people (or themselves) to be so impressive that they slapped this massive adjective to the end of their name. Each one of them was considered to have stood above everyone else of their time because of the many acts of conquest, valor and, majesty that they accomplished.

Like the followers of these "Great"s, I think we often measure people with similar scales. If you have earned a lot of money, you are considered great. If you accomplish a ton of really hard things, you are considered great. If you win a bunch of competitions, you are considered great. If you win wars, you are even greater. And every time, the title "Great" goes to those who have put everyone else below them to become the best and the most powerful and to get everything the world has to offer. But this is not how Jesus ever thought about greatness.

In fact, in Mark 10:42-45, says that the measure for greatness looks vastly different. It is completely upside down. Those who are truly great are the Mother Teresa's, the George Mueller's, the A21 Campaign's of this world. Those who are truly great are the ones who give away their lives and their kingdoms to serve others. These are people who don't need to take selfies to prove that they exist. Instead, they let their lives speak for themselves, and let the others photograph it. These are the people who give their lives to serving, and realize that this life is not about them. Jesus said that the servant of all is really the greatest among us.

So I wonder about you?

In what areas of your life are you trying to be impressive to others, striving to stand above others, and to accumulate a massive list of accomplishments?

Maybe it is time to give those things away, and start a living a life that is truly great. Maybe it is time to start serving as many people as possible and see the lives, communities, and world transformed around you.

I challenge you to be truly great today. Anyone has the capacity to be great because anyone has the capacity to live for the good of others. You can can be a servant. You can be great. Be greater than you have ever been!