Reflection:Â How the Gospel Transforms Leaders
Most Christians think the gospel is only for unbelievers, or at least baby believers. That is, the gospel is the milk, not the meat of the Christian faith. The truth is, the gospel to the Christian faith is simultaneously the milk, the meat, the appetizer, the dessert, and the coffee and after dinner mint!
We need to continually drink from the bottomless well of the gospel, whether we have been Christians for three weeks, three years, or three decades. To put it differently, the gospel is not just a starting point, it is the reference point for all Christians, including Christian leaders.
Paul wrote to saints in Ephesus, for example, about the grace-alone-through-faith-alone-in-Christ-alone gospel in the first three chapters of his letter, followed by practical application of that gospel in the three remaining chapters.
Here is how the gospel relates to leaders in the workplace (Eph 6:5-9). Christian leaders should treat others (e.g., clients or colleagues) with kindness and tenderness without regard of their past mistakes because that is how they were treated by God. Also, the relationship with their superiors must be characterized by an attitude of voluntary subordination as bondservants of Christ rather than people-pleasers. On the flip side, unlike the cruel masters of the first century, they should be fair and considerate towards their staff, because they have received much more than what they deserve from God.
Paul went to great lengths to show that the gospel should relate to every single dimension of our lives. Has the gospel transformed you as marketplace leaders?
Prayer:Â Father, bring me closer to the cross to marvel at what Christ has done for us, not what I promise to do for him. Intensify my hunger for you, not more things from you but just more of you. Â Help me to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, such that it transforms every single area of my life.