The Price and Redemption of Leadership

Job 34; 1 Corinthians 4-6 

“For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena…We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored…when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.”

1 Corinthians 4:9, 10, 13

Why is the cost of ministry so high for apostolic leaders?

Paul felt his life was a public display of humiliation for the sake of the gospel. In the spiritual warfare of mission, Paul was not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of spiritual darkness. God allows this opposition in the lives of his servants to refine us and cause our full dependency on Christ to grow. The cost of kingdom-leadership is high, yet the rewards of seeing lives transformed for eternity are even higher. The power of God is revealed in weakness, not natural gifting, or human strength. Christ’s leaders are willing to pay the price of discipleship in leadership because our leader Jesus showed us how.

What price of service or leadership are we asking Christ to redeem?

“Lord God, I humble myself before you, for your glory.”