Rise and Fall (Part 1): A Biblical Basis

Thursday 26 February 2026

Two weeks ago, I mentioned about how the Lord had impressed upon me to start a series of reflections on the following

1) Chalk and Cheese
2) Rise and Fall
3) Initiator and Responder

You can go back and read about the first topic by clicking on the hyperlink.

I apologise that due to the CNY festivities and other events, I got a little "off-topic". Having gathered my thoughts and put distractions aside, let us continue with the very sensitive, yet crucial topic regarding Rise and Fall. 

"EVERYTHING RISES AND FALLS ON LEADERSHIP"

John C. Maxwell

Thanks to Google AI, the summary of the above quotation is reproduced in full below:

"Everything rises and falls on leadership," a principle famously coined by John C. Maxwell, means that the quality of leadership is the primary determinant of an organization’s, team's, or project's success or failure. It signifies that effective leaders elevate, while ineffective ones limit, potential, affecting culture, performance, and resilience. 

• Key Drivers of Success (The "Rise"): Organizations rise when leaders possess strong skills, good values, and foster a positive environment.
• Key Causes of Failure (The "Fall"): Organizations fall or experience stagnant performance when leadership is weak, unsupported, under pressure, or fails to adapt.
• The "Law of the Lid": Maxwell posits that a leader's effectiveness sets the maximum, or "lid," on a team's potential.
• Focus on Growth: The principle emphasizes that increasing one's leadership capacity directly improves the success rate of their organization

We see examples of this throughout the Bible.

In the Context of a Marriage (negative example)

Observation: Adam failed to exercise his leadership in his marital union with Eve, allowing the snake to engage in ungodly chatter with his wife.

Result: The fall of man.

In the Context of a Family (negative example)

Observation: Lot failed to exercise his leadership over his wife and daughters.

Result: His wife was turned into a pillar of salt, while his daughters slept with him to produce Moab and Ben-Ammi, whose descendants (the Moabites and Ammonites) became a constant thorn in the side of the Israelites.

In the Context of a Clan/Tribe (positive example)

Observation: Gideon himself described the clan (Abiezer) and tribe (Manasseh) he was from to be the least of the least. But the Angel of the Lord declared him to be a "mighty man of valour".

Result: Gideon defeated the Midianites and rose up to become a Judge over the entire nation, the only one from his "kampung" clan to do so.

In the Context of a Nation (both positive and negative examples)

Observations: We read in Judges and throughout the 2 books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles about Eli (bad priest), Saul (bad king), David (mostly good), Solomon (good initially), the kings of Israel (all bad), the kings of Judah (some good, some bad).

Results: Depending on the leader, the nation and kingdom/(s) would rise or fall. Ultimately, both kingdoms of the divided nation fell, and were brought into captivity and exiled by Assyria and Babylon.

"Aiya, bro, all that is Old Testament passages lah. Jesus was not yet come. It does not apply this side of the cross, under the New Covenant", I hear some of you saying already :-)

Well, let me give a passage that is not only New Testament but eschatological (end-times) too.  Here, Jesus Himself is speaking to the 7 churches, but note something very interesting and consistent in His opening addresses to each of them...

Rev 2:1

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

Rev 2:8

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

Rev 2:12

"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

Rev 2:18

"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

Rev 3:1

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

Rev 3:7

"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

Rev 3:14

"To the angel of the church in Laodecia write:

Unfortunately, the original Greek word "angelos" used there is very much lost in (?non)-translation, so thanks again to Google AI, here is a better interpretation

The "angel" (Greek angelos, meaning messenger) in Revelation 2-3 refers to a figure representing each of the seven churches, with three main interpretations: human leaders/pastors, heavenly guardian angels, or personifications of the church's spirit. Most commentators argue for human leaders or messengers who delivered the letters.

Key Interpretations of the "Angel":

• Human Leaders/Pastors: The most common view is that the angel is the pastor, elder, or bishop of the congregation, responsible for guiding the church.

We see very clearly here that leadership is lagi (that's Malay for "much more") important and crucial under the New Covenant. The entire church in Philadelphia was being praised by Jesus because of the exemplary leadership of its senior representative (pastor/bishop), while the other 6 were equally admonished because of poor leadership.

Having established the biblical basis for the above principle, I will continue tomorrow with very specific and concrete examples closer to home (my own situation included), so stay tuned for part 2!