Let me say this carefully – but I really mean it – it is possible for a desire for excellence to replace a passion for the glory of God. The tendency is to elitify everything and for slick presentation to take over from all the saints doing the work of ministry. And for us to justify it to ourselves because what else was all that hard study in aid of, if not for us to do everything to a higher standard than anyone else can?

Growing in spiritual leadership means increasingly living and leading in faith to make all the believers are radically God-centred, radically concerned for his glory, radically concerned to spread the fame of his glory and the call to submit to him and be worshippers of him around the world.

The thing that causes people to get attached to structures and activities past their sell by date, is being unclear about the purpose and identity of the church and being unclear about their part in it. When they fail to see that the reason for doing this or that is the glory of God and the extension of the kingdom, when they fail to see that their service flows out of loving and furthering God’s glory, then structure rather than biblical vision is at the centre.

So we are leading in order that God is glorified in the church and through the church, as we witnes to Christ and become more like Christ. I love the description of that growth in Eph. 4 where it described as becoming like unto a mature man, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. That’s what we are watching over their souls for.

You don’t have to think very hard to see why God is going to be glorified, why the church is going to go to all the world making disciples if they are full of faith, making progress and exploding with irrepressible joy. It doesn’t take much to see how churches stand up under trials and resist temptation if they are exhibit inexpressible and glorious joy as they receive the goal of their faith, the salvation of their souls.