What Is It to Lead in Leadership as a Disciple?
Numbers 11:17 – Shared, Spirit‑Led Leadership
Numbers 11:17
“And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.”
Core Insight: In this verse, the Lord shows us that true leadership is shared spiritual labor. He takes of His Spirit and places it upon many, so that the burden of His people is borne together, not carried alone. As disciples, our leadership is not self‑generated power, but God‑distributed stewardship.
Key Word – “Bear”: To bear is to lift, carry, and sustain. In leadership, we do not bear people by our own strength; we bear them by the Spirit the Lord places upon us. We are called to carry God’s people with one another, under His direction.
Witnessing Scriptures on Leadership as Disciples
Scriptures taken from the Topical Guide
D&C 105:7 – Chastened to Learn Our Duty
“They must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham… and be taught more perfectly their duty.”
Why it applies: Numbers 11:17 shows God forming leaders by sharing His Spirit. D&C 105:7 shows God forming leaders by chastening and teaching duty. In both, the Lord shapes us before He entrusts us with bearing others.
Principle for us: We grow into leadership as we accept God’s correction and let Him teach us our duty. Our willingness to be taught prepares us to bear the burdens of His people.
D&C 107:99 – Learn and Act in Our Office
“Let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed.”
Why it applies: In Numbers 11:17, the Lord appoints others to bear the burden with Moses and gives them of His Spirit. D&C 107:99 commands us not only to know our duty, but to act in the office God has given.
Principle for us: We do not wait for perfect conditions to lead. We learn our duty and act in our calling, trusting that the same Spirit who called us will enable us to bear the burden.
D&C 121:39 – Guarding Against Unrighteous Dominion
“We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.”
Why it applies: Numbers 11:17 decentralizes power—God spreads His Spirit so Moses does not lead alone. D&C 121:39 warns us what happens when leadership becomes self‑centered and controlling.
Principle for us: We watch our hearts so that leadership never becomes domination. We choose shared, humble, Spirit‑led service instead of using authority to elevate ourselves.
D&C 124:45 – Whom the Lord Appoints to Lead
“Whom I have appointed to lead my people.”
Why it applies: In Numbers 11:17, God Himself chooses and empowers those who will bear the burden with Moses. D&C 124:45 reminds us that true leadership is God‑appointed, not self‑claimed.
Principle for us: We see leadership as a stewardship, not a status. We honor those the Lord has appointed and seek to magnify, not manufacture, our callings.
Abraham 1:18 – “I Will Lead Thee by My Hand”
“I will lead thee by my hand.”
Why it applies: In Numbers 11:17, the Lord comes down and speaks with Moses. In Abraham 1:18, He promises to personally lead His servant. Leadership in both passages begins with being led by God.
Principle for us: We can only lead others safely as we allow the Lord to lead us. Our leadership is an extension of His hand, not a replacement for it.
Abraham 3:23 – “These I Will Make My Rulers”
“These I will make my rulers.”
Why it applies: Numbers 11:17 shows God selecting and empowering leaders in mortality. Abraham 3:23 reveals that some were foreordained to such stewardships before this life.
Principle for us: Leadership is part of a larger, eternal stewardship. As we bear the burdens of God’s people now, we are living up to covenants and purposes that began before we were born.
Additional Scriptural Echoes of Disciple‑Leadership
- 2 Chronicles 18:12–13: A true leader speaks what the Lord says, even under pressure.
- Matthew 21:28–30: Real leadership is doing the Father’s will, not just saying we will.
- Luke 6:12–16: Christ chooses leaders after prayer; leadership begins in communion with God.
- Ephesians 6:9: Leaders must forbear threatening, remembering that God is no respecter of persons.
- Mosiah 18:12–13: Alma leads by covenant and the Spirit, not by compulsion.
- Mosiah 26:10–13: When judgment is too heavy, faithful leaders seek the Lord’s voice.
- Helaman 10:1–5: God entrusts great power only to those who do not seek their own glory.
- D&C 70:3–9: Leadership is a sacred stewardship, with accountability before God.
Unified Principle for Our Celestial Spiritual Growth
Summary Principle: To lead in leadership as disciples is to bear God’s people with God’s Spirit, in God’s way, under God’s hand, and never alone. We share burdens instead of hoarding them, act in our duty instead of shrinking from it, refuse unrighteous dominion, and remember that all leadership in Zion is covenantal, communal, and consecrated.
No comments:
Post a Comment