If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
What would it look like if Christian leaders actually lived the way Jesus did?
Pastor Samuel had built something impressive: a growing congregation, a respected name, and a comfortable lifestyle. He believed it was God’s blessing. Then a young elder asked him a question: “When did we last make a decision that cost us something personally?”
That struck Samuel. He couldn’t answer. And the silence told him something he hadn’t wanted to know. He thought about the life of Jesus: Jesus had no home of his own. Ordinary clothes. Washing dirty feet. Touching sick people. A death between criminals.
Jesus didn’t model leadership as a climb toward comfort, status, and influence. He modeled choosing the lowest place, the hardest assignment, and the most vulnerable people. God spoke through a man named Ezekiel to rebuke leaders who fed themselves while those in their care went hungry and the vulnerable suffered (Ezekial 34). Jesus was equally direct: He said that whoever wants to be great among you must become servant of all (Mark 10:43-44).
Samuel realized he had to face the truth about himself. He’d been building a ministry career disguised as a calling. But this is more than one man’s personal struggle. When churches measure success by impressive buildings, celebrity leaders, and big budgets, they’ve accepted a model Jesus never lived and never endorsed.
Faithful leaders serve everyone. They protect the vulnerable and live simply, welcoming accountability. They look nothing like celebrities. Jesus’s invitation to every leader and every believer remains unchanged: give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Him all the way to where the people who need you most are waiting.
