Leading is a Privilege

The Privilege of Leading

What a privilege it is to lead someone, anyone, in virtually anything. To be in a position of leadership is a privilege that many do not know how to handle – neither the leaders nor the led. In the context of a church, leadership should be a matter of servants leading by example rather than commanders leading by dictate. True leadership is a quality of someone’s personality before it is a responsibility - for which they may or may not be ready.

However, this is all about leadership in a corporate setting. So, what about leadership in an individual setting? Surely there can be no greater joy or privilege of leading an individual to faith and commitment to the Lord. Leading just one person in the “Sinner’s Prayer” to their salvation and to a commitment to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour cannot give greater joy or surpassing satisfaction nor gratitude.

This happened to us this weekend. Both of us have had this same privilege in a corporate setting in church meetings, and my wife has had this privilege before with her own family. But, for me, this was a first. We knew it was going to happen too, because it was the stated purpose of a family visit to us for the weekend and it followed two months of chatting backwards and forwards. Yet, despite all foreknowledge and all planning, it was a first for me on a head-to-head basis,  and I discovered that I was as nervous as a cat on hot bricks.

We went through it on Saturday evening and we prayed the sinners prayer with him, and then we all went to church together on Sunday morning - where he was welcomed into the family of God with great love. What’s that I heard you say? “Been there, seen it, done it, worn out the tee shirt.” OK, so you have, but it was a first for me – and I was so full of tears of joy that I couldn’t hold them all, and quite a few ran ‘happily’ down my cheeks. I hoped not too many people noticed !!

What a privilege it is to lead. Whether from the front of a meeting or in the privacy of your own home, it is perhaps the greatest privilege of all to lead a ‘lost’ soul to Jesus. As we explained to the man, there was a party in heaven last night. We showed him Luke 15:7 “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”   He was all most impressed, but most of all, he was happy to have made the commitment and to have prayed the prayer with us as witnesses.

I am just overjoyed that he even considered asking us to help him begin his Christian journey. What a wonderful privilege.