God expects Christian children to be good followers wherever they find themselves because being a good follower will help them become a good leader. As Christians, we must follow the leading of Jesus Christ.
We shall use some Bible characters for better understanding each week for this month. Week 1 focuses on the life of Joshua as a follower of Moses; week 2 focuses on Elisha as a follower of Elijah; week 3 focuses on Mary Magdalene as a follower of Jesus Christ, and week 4 focuses on Timothy as a follower of Paul, the apostle.
1. Joshua (Bible Passage: Joshua 1:1-2; Exodus 24:13)
Busoye was an apprentice under an uncle named Sola. Uncle Sola had initially trained apprentices whose integrity and good virtues at work can be emulated. He taught them both in words and actions.
Busoye was a straightforward person, and all their customers liked him as they liked his uncle. One day, a customer left a huge amount of money (about Four Hundred Thousand Naira) inside his car, but thought he had lost it in another place.
After about eleven weeks, he came to Uncle Sola’s workshop and Busoye handed over the money to their customer intact with its wrapper. The customer was happy and gave Busoye a car gift for his integrity and good character. He also gave a plot of land to Uncle Sola for being a good boss to Busoye.
The Concept of Followership
Followership is an important aspect of group and organisational success, involving actively and effectively following a leader’s direction to achieve shared goals. Followership and leadership are two related concepts that cannot be separated from each other.
In other words, no one can lead alone without other people. A follower is someone who follows a leader to learn the skills, attitudes, values, and beliefs of the leader and eventually grows to become like the leader.
In the Bible passage, we can see how Joshua followed his leader, Moses. In their relationships, Moses guides Joshua on what to do and how to do it, and Joshua, too, follows his instructions and guidance with keen interest.
Joshua as Moses’ Follower
Joshua was the son of a man named Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim. He was the successor of Moses, who led the Israelites to the Promised Land. Joshua was the aide (assistant) when Moses was leading the Israelites.
Joshua was like a personal assistant to Moses and served as the commander of Israel’s army under him, especially in the battle against the Amalek (Exodus 17 9-13).
He followed Moses up on the mountain of God to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24:13), but he always stayed with the elders in the tent until Moses returned to the camp after talking with God face to face on the mountaintop.
(Exodus 33:11) respectively). Finally, he ran errands to find Moses. He then obeyed his instructions to go and spy on the land of Jericho along with other members of the Israelites. (Numbers 14:6 & 22-24.)
Joshua’s Followership Qualities
i. Faithfulness and Dependability: Joshua had been an assistant to Moses, and he proved himself to be faithful and dependable. Good followers are expected to demonstrate reliability and loyalty in their leadership and roles.
ii. Preparedness: Joshua and Moses were prepared for their roles. Moses had mentored and prepared Joshua for leadership. Good leaders should invest in training and mentorship, which will prepare and equip them for their responsibilities. Good followers, too, should be wisely prepared to learn the necessary skills, which will develop their qualities.
iii. Teamwork and Collaboration: Joshua worked closely with Moses. He was always around Moses to support him and collaborate with him. Joshua also worked together with other people as a team to spy on the land of Jericho. Leaders and followers should work together to achieve common goals.
iv. Loyalty and Support: Joshua’s loyalty and support were evident in his belief that no one else should prophesy except Moses. He told Moses to stop Eldad and Medad from prophesying, though Moses corrected him not to be jealous.
As Christ’s disciples, we should be loyal and supportive of our leaders. We should be faithful servants for us to be faithful leaders.
Conclusion
Good followership is a great virtue to have. Today, we saw that Joshua was a good follower. He learnt a lot from Moses before he took over from him. His good followership helped him to succeed when he eventually became a leader.
A good follower will eventually turn out to be a good leader. Followership is a preparation for Leadership. Christian children should be good followers so that they can lead successfully with the help of God.
Think and Decide
How are you following your leaders (elder sibling, class monitor, or school prefects)? Do you desire to become a good leader in the future? Resolve today to follow your leader with sincerity of heart.
Talk to God: Pray that God will help you to be an exemplary follower for others to emulate.
2. Elisha (Bible Passage: 1 Kings 7:1-12)
Elisha, whose name means “God is salvation,” was a follower of Elijah in the office of the prophein Israel. He was called to follow Elijah, and he spent several years with him until Elijah was taken into heaven.
Joshua demonstrated the qualities of a good leader as recorded in the Bible, and he benefited from his obedience. Today’s lesson examines how Elisha followed Elijah, and how his successful followership can help the everyday life of the follower of Christ.
Elisha’s Personality
Personality can be defined as the characteristics or qualities that form an individual. It is a trait that forms the behavioural pattern of an individual. Every person’s character shows his or her personality traits.
Types of Personality
Before we look at Elisha’s personality as a follower, it is important to take a general look at the various kinds of personality traits that we have.
1. The Director: The director is someone who enjoys taking charge and leading people. He/she is good at planning, decision-making, proper organisation and execution.
2. The Socialiser: The socialiser is someone who loves being around people and making new friends. He/she relates well and enjoys introducing fun ideas and activities. The socialiser is friendly, talkative and lively.
3. The Thinker: The thinker is someone who loves to learn and solve problems. He/she is curious, smart, and inquisitive. The thinker enjoys spending a lot of time reading, working on games and thinking deeply about things.
4. The Supporter: The supporter is someone who cares a lot about people and enjoys helping them. He/she is kind and ready to help others to make everyone happy.
Elisha as a Follower
Here, we shall discuss the personality traits and characteristics that define Elisha as a follower.
i. Dedication (1 Kings 19:19-21): Elisha demonstrated remarkable dedication and commitment when he followed Elijah.
He remained steadfast and loyal to his mentor and God. God wants you to dedicate your life to your leaders at home (parents & older siblings), at church (pastors & teachers), and in school (teachers, prefects, and class monitors).
ii. Humility (2 Kings 3:11): Elisha displayed humility. He took up the role of Elijah’s attendant and served him with respect and honour. Elisha did not seek recognition or praise for himself, but he humbly accepted the position to fulfil the vision of his mentor.
God wants His children to humble themselves before their leaders and be ready to serve without grumbling.
iii. Promptness: Elisha always responded promptly to his followership call. When Elijah threw his cloak around him, He left his oxen and followed Elijah; then he requested permission to go and tidy up. God wants His children to respond promptly when He calls us to do something for Him (1 Kings 19:18-19). We should answer our leaders when they call us to do something.
iv. Teachable: Elisha was a teachable follower of Elijah. Elisha’s prompt response showed his willingness to learn under Elijah. He abandoned his profession to learn new things under the leadership of Elijah (1 Kings 19:21). As child followers, you must surrender previous knowledge to learn new skills under your leaders.
v. Persistent Loyalty: Persistent loyalty is evident in Elisha’s strong intimacy with his master despite the challenges he faced with him.
Elijah told him to wait for him at several places, such as Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho, and Jordan (2 Kings 2:1-6), yet he didn’t relent but remained closer to him. Children must be persistently loyal to their leaders, no matter the situation.
vi. Boldness and Confidence: Elisha’s boldness and confidence were evident in his request for a double portion of his master’s spirit (2 Kings 2:9).
He believed in his master’s calling and desired to have his anointing. Elisha was not timid to ask for what he thought he needed to continue the work after his master. As children, you must be bold to ask for useful things from your leaders.
vii. Focus and Continuity: Elisha did not allow any distraction that could distract him from his master.
Though people discouraged and distracted him, telling him that his master would be taken away from him (2 Kings 2:3, 5, &7), he remained focused until he was able to grab Elijah’s cloak when he was being taken away. When he got the cloak, he used it to part the River Jordan (2 Kings 2:11-14).
From that day, he continued the work from where Elijah stopped. As good followers, you must be focused on carrying out the task committed to us.
viii. Faith (2 Kings 6:16): One of Elisha’s personality traits is faith. He has strong faith in God’s power and guidance, which enabled him to perform miracles and fulfil his prophetic calling. His unwavering faith was the foundation that guided his actions throughout his life.
Conclusion
The kingdom of God grows when we do the right thing as Christ instructs us. Be a good follower.. Grow in God, cultivate good habits and avoid bad relationships that can corrupt your life. Be dedicated, teachable, bold, and focused. Be persistently loyal to your leader, and God will reward your faithfulness.
Think and Decide
What kind of follower are you? Are you easily distracted or focused? What will you do with the lessons you have learnt today?
Talk to God: Pray for grace to be a better person and a faithful follower of your leader in Jesus’ name.
3. Mary Magdalene Bible Passage: Matthew 27:55-56, 28
Sometimes, following and supporting a leader may require attending to the needs of followers first. Some people follow a leader to appreciate what such a leader has done for them or the impact he or she has made in their lives.
This was the case of Mary Magdalene, showcasing how she followed and supported Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry.
The Person of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of the women who followed and supported Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. She was from a town located on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, called Magdala.
Her name was therefore obtained from the name of her town. She was greatly committed to following Jesus after having been delivered from the possession of several demons. She and other women followed Jesus and His disciples about, moving from one town to another.
They also supported Jesus with their substances to meet His needs (Luke 8:1-3, & Matthew 27:55). Mary Magdalene, in her genuine love and deep devotion to Jesus, witnessed it when they saw where He was laid (Mark 15:40 &47).
She was among the women who went to Jesus’ tomb very early on Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ body andfound out that Jesus had resurrected (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:1).
When she noticed that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb, she ran to tell Peter and John, and told them. Then, they went back to the tomb (John 20:2). At the tomb, she saw Jesus and attempted to embrace Him, but Jesus prevented her from holding on to Him, because He was no longer in a physical body.
He then told her to go and tell His brothers that He was returning to God the Father. She immediately went back to tell the remaining disciples who had seen the Lord (John 20:17).
Lessons from Mary Magdalene as a Follower
There are some lessons we can learn from the life of Mary Magdalene.
i. Sense of Appreciation: Mary Magdalene was grateful to Jesus for showing her mercy, casting out demons from her life. As her way of showing sincere gratitude to Jesus, she continued to follow Him till death. As Christian followers, we are to be grateful for any act of kindness our leaders might show to us, no matter how little.
ii. Sense of Devotion: Mary’s persistence in following Jesus is evidence of her sincere devotion to Him. As she followed Jesus, she was listening to His teachings and learning from Him. Christians must ensure that we listen and learn good lessons from our leaders.
iii. Sense of Generosity: Mary Magdalene’s generosity was evident in her support for Jesus. She used her substances to meet His needs. As good followers, we can support our leaders with our time, money, and prayer.
iv. Genuine Love for Jesus: Mary’s sincere love for Jesus shows as she was loyal to Him till the end and still went to watch Him after His death. As good followers, we should show genuine love for our leaders and be loyal to them.
v. Obedience to Instruction: Mary Magdalene was an obedient follower. She obeyed Jesus’ instruction to go and tell his brother about His intention of His return to His father. Good followers must be obedient to their leaders’ instructions.
vi. Resolute Heart: Mary Magdalene had a resolute heart. She was determined to follow Jesus to the end, and she did. Good followers must be determined to follow their godly leaders to achieve success.
Conclusion
Mary Magdalene was a faithful follower whom we can all imitate. As a follower, we should try to be faithful, generous, resolute, and obedient like Mary Magdalene. We should always appreciate any act of kindness our leaders might show us and show genuine love for them.
Think and Decide
Have you been faithful to your leaders in school? What have you decided to do with what you learnt today from Mary Magdalene? If not, make up your mind today to be a good follower.
Talk to God: Ask God to help you be a good follower of your leaders, in the school, classroom, and church. Read the similar post on this page.
