The Book on Leadership (2004) by John MacArthur
Where do I go if I want to read Bible expositions, commentaries, and topical all at the same time? I go to John MacArthur’s books (to read my review of MacArthur’s Ashamed of the Gospel & my Top 15 Books on Leadership, click the titles). MacArthur has been one of the biggest influences in my life in the areas of expository preaching, Word-centered writing, and leadership teachings. I learned so much from the free resources online at Grace to You webpage and The Master’s Seminary YouTube channel. I admire the man because he stands for the truth and his love for the Lord Jesus and the Word of God is very contagious. I don’t fully agree with some of his views such as on charismatic movement as a whole in his book, Charismatic Chaos (1992) and later became a conference and a book, Strange Fire (2013). There are some other ‘controversies’ that I’m aware of but none really that clear and I will not defend someone that I don’t know personally such as MacArthur. One must draw the line between admiring the man for what the Lord has done through him and obsessing – even idolizing – the man, thinking that his theology and life are perfect. Never put your trust and allegiance to a mere man but Christ alone!
Now, let me discuss about this book (in 2010, it was retitled, Called to Lead). As of this writing, amidst many fallen leaders, Pastor John MacArthur, 81 years old, still standing strong. Probably that, I think, mostly attributed to his leadership. What is leadership? Based on Matthew 20:25-28, MacArthur wrote: “According to Christ, then, the truest kind of leadership demands service, sacrifice, and selflessness. A proud and self-promoting person is not a good leader by Christ’s standard, regardless of how much clout he or she might wield. Leaders who look to Christ as their Leader and their supreme model of leadership will have servants’ hearts.” The fact that we must look to Christ as our Leader and “supreme model of leadership” means that He must influence our entire lives. Thus, leadership at its core is influence. “The ideal leader is someone whose life and character motivate people to follow,” explains MacArthur. Not style but character. So, the best example to follow is Christ Himself (one book that I would like to recommend here is C. Gene Wilkes’s Jesus on Leadership) and the next ones are the people who follow Christ faithfully. To MacArthur, it would be Paul the apostle. “Follow my example,” Paul urged the Christians, “as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). MacArthur reasons, “Of all the biographies I have read and the lives that have left their mark on my character, no one mortal individual has left a deeper impression on me than the apostle Paul. I sometimes feel I know more about him than anyone else except Christ, because I spent a major portion of my life studying the biblical account of his life, letters, and ministry, learning leadership at his feet.” That is not a surprise since he took 42 years to preach the entire 27 books of the New Testament verse by verse of which about half of the books (letters) attribute to Paul.
There are 26 characteristics of a true leader outline in the book and it is divided into three parts. MacArthur writes largely based on biographical material from the life-action of Paul from the Book of Acts and autobiographical from his letters. In Part 1: Paul In Chains: Leadership In Action, he examines from Acts 27 how Paul’s leadership was manifest in the most unlikely of situations; in Part 2: Paul In Corinth: Leadership Under Fire, he helps us to see how Paul deals with issues regarding spiritual leadership and how to handle conflicts in the church primary based on 2 Corinthians; in Part 3: An Approved Workman – Leadership Held to Biblical Standard, he answers these two questions, “How Not to Be Disqualified” and “Who Is Fit to Lead?”; and in Part 4: Epilogue, my favorite, where he skilfully highlights Paul’s triumphant last days on earth even though he might seem to the world as a failure due to his imprisonment and execution. I’m touched by Paul’s testimony in 2 Timothy. “Paul measured his own success as a leader, as an apostle, and as a Christian by a single criterion: He had ‘kept the faith’ – meaning both that he had remained faithful to Christ and that he had kept the message of Christ’s gospel intact, just as he had received it.” Indeed, this is his legacy (come on, LEGASI!) in this life and through eternity. Amazing. To you who are called to lead, read this book!
#ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #JohnMacArthur #TheBookOnLeadership #TheApostlePaul #SpiritualLeadership
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