A Leader like T’Challa

A series on Leadership: Part Three
How do you perceive leadership?

We just lost the physical presence of a great young actor named Chadwick Boseman. He has made his mark on this world by playing in the first blockbuster film centered on a Black superhero. Global Girl Ministries International celebrates and honors his life. We make a record of our great esteem for his life and recognize his public declaration of His faith in Jesus Christ. We enter sympathetically into grief with his wife, family, friends and colleagues. Mr Boseman was our Black Panther come to life. And we are eternally grateful to God for allowing us to experience his great talent and spirit.

The movie Black Panther was, in my opinion, a deeply entertaining AND spiritual movie. I saw so many parallels to the life and Word of Jesus Christ that in 2018, Global Girl Ministries went on a field trip to see the movie. Afterwards, we sat and talked about the spiritual significance of what we saw in the movie.

King T’Challa. Now that is a true leader. Yes the movie centered upon the superhero abilities of Black Panther, but behind the mask there was a man born, and trained to be a king and leader. Here are a few of things in that movie that I want to share with you about T’Challa’s leadership skills:

1. When T’Chaka was alive and still King, T’Challa was already Black Panther. He did not see himself stepping into his father’s role for a very long time away. It was only because of his father’s untimely murder that he was forced to become king.
2. T’Challa never sent his royal guard to do something that he was not willing to do himself. He did not lead by words but by example.
3. The king of Wakanda genuinely seemed to be concerned about serving others to the best of his ability. He did not see his kingship as a perk or privilege, but one of burden, responsibility and duty to his people. He didn’t want to be served. Rather he had an intense desire to protect and serve Wakanda.
4. His humbleness did not lead him to weakness but strength. Although he could have turned down the multiple challenges to his position, T’Challa’s willingness to fight for the kingdom led to restoration of a divided kingdom and defeat of a common enemy.
5. His humbleness did not lead him to weakness but strength. Although he could have turned down the multiple challenges to his position, T’Challa’s willingness to fight for the kingdom led to restoration of a divided kingdom and defeat of a common enemy.
6. After facing and defeating his enemy, King T’Challa did not make Killmonger his footstool, rather he granted him mercy by giving him his final wish.

Oh what we as leaders in the Kingdom of God could learn from King T’Challa. God Almighty has set His only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ as the King. And He has made us, the adopted sons and daughters of God, kings. (That’s why Jesus is King of kings, we are the little k’s.) Each of us has a kingdom, a territory of sorts that we are responsible for ruling and keeping safe. If we use the parallels of T’Challa’s leadership in our lives as holy and righteous kings, we would rule just as effectively. Like the king of Wakanda we should know our leadership skills:

1. Although we have not been physically bestowed with our heavenly crowns, we have already been empowered by the Holy Spirit to operate as kings. We have dominion and power over satan and the flesh. We may not be ready to become kings yet, but the authority is already set within us. We have to know this without doubt or hesitation.
2. As Kingdom of God leaders, we should never send someone else to do what we are not willing to do ourselves. We can’t simply tell others to evangelize if we aren’t going to go out into the world ourselves. It’s not enough to ask others to pray but not pray ourselves. A leader leads by action and not by words.
3. Our position as little kings are not ones of privilege and elite status. Rather the last shall be first… we are servants, humble ones at that, in the service of each other, mankind and God Almighty. Though God has elevated us to a place of honor, seated in glory with Him, we are never to think we are better than our fellow brothers and sisters. We are all to be ready to lay down our lives to protect and serve the Kingdom of God.
4. A Kingdom leader’s ego should never get in the way of asking for help. Jesus Himself did not operate as a lone wolf and neither should we. Cry out to God when you need Him. And if you are a great leader, you will know without a shadow of doubt that you need help every moment of every day.
5. Our weaknesses are God’s greatest opportunities to show His strength. It is absolutely our right to fall back and allow God to fight our battles, however, when we fight through our fears and shortcomings, show up for the fight and allow God to move through us, that is when we will see the greatest growth, the biggest reconciliation and the mightiest battles won.
6. As leaders, we recognize that sometimes our greatest enemies come in the form of those who should be our closest allies or relations. God will give you strategies to defeat them. Yet, when that day comes, do not utterly destroy them or make them your footstool. Invite them to the table that God has prepared for you before their sight. It will be like heaping coals of fire upon their heads that will bring conviction and, hopefully, restoration to you and the Kingdom of God.

I know the signature tagline in the movie Black Panther is “Wakanda Forever!”. Nevertheless, there is no other Kingdom, real or fiction, that can be greater than the Kingdom of Heaven. As leaders in God’s family, our single minded thoughts and earnest desires should be for the Kingdom of our Father to be made manifest in the Earth. Our cry as leaders in the kingdom of God must be that of our Lord and King Jesus: “Almighty God Forever!”

Leaders like T’Challa are born from both real and fictional experiences and societies. However, the Leader Jesus Christ IS God, who rules justly and with great wisdom and might. He is the greatest example of leadership the world will ever know. All other leaders draw their characteristics from Him. When we take the best of Jesus Christ and walk in His footsteps, we are destined to be as great a leader as T’Challa would ever be.