Engaging fired up leaders who know who they are in Christ and are ready for the challenges of leading with integrity in society today and in the future. This is done by understanding and discussing Biblical Insight into Leadership principles and practices. There has only been one perfect role model for leadership. That only role model has been Jesus Christ.
I enjoy incorporating worship music into my blog posts. Some people enjoy listening while they read and others listen at the end.
The International House of Prayer (IHOP) recently had posted
on the IHOP facebook feed, “Jesus is worthy and it’s our delight to be with Him
in the place of prayer.” Talking with
God (not just at God) about the people in our lives helps us to build and
maintain healthy relationships with them. How is prayer impacting your
relationships with those you lead?
Leaders who follow Jesus need to make time each day for
prayer. Through prayer we can discover
God’s plan for us as leaders. In Acts
10:9 (NIV) we are told about God calling Peter to reach out beyond his comfort level.
“9About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching
the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.”
During this prayer time Peter sees a vision from God of a large sheet
being lowered with animals on it and God’s voice saying, “Get up, Peter. Kill
and eat.” Then the verses continue with
14“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or
unclean.” 15The voice spoke to him a
second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” For it was Jewish law of the time not to
associate with Gentiles. The vision from
God through prayer changed Peter’s perspective and prepared him for a new
direction.
One of the ways God cleanses us or changing our direction is
by inviting us to spend more of our time praying to him and singing to him. Prayer changes everything because it releases
God's wisdom into your circumstances.
Saint Augustine said, “If you pray well, you will live well.” We need to pray more. When need to be more intentional about our
prayer life. We need to make time to
pray. Jesus regularly prayed. Scene after scene in the Bible we see Jesus
modeling a life in prayer. Jesus reminds
the disciples and His followers that only through Him can we pray to God.
“We have a beautiful God who beckons His people, ‘Come to Me
in the Word and prayer and let Me fascinate you.’ Go to Him today!” (IHOP, Facebook Feed). Pray for wisdom. Then
believe God will answer your prayer. Thank
you God for hearing your people.
Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain
understanding. Proverbs 3:13 (NIV).
The early disciples stepped out boldly, serving and teaching
in Jesus' Name. Listen carefully to
sincere teachers of the Word of God.
“Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of
learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together.” ~Scott Hayden
When we find wisdom we gain understanding. There are times when we need another person
to help us in this search. This is when
leaders become teachers. In a previous
post I discussed the importance of leaders serving as mentors. A mentor is someone who walks side-by-side
and partners. There are also times when
leaders need to be teachers. As teachers,
leaders can help others find wisdom and understanding. Ephesians 4: 11 – 16 talks about the
necessity for the five leadership roles in the Church, teachers being one of
them. The teacher is the one who trains
God’s people in the truth and teaches others to do so.
Martin Luther said that when schools flourish, all
flourishes. Now school does not need to
be formal places of learning. Leadership
schooling can happen within informal settings.
But what is constant is creating an environment where learning can take
place. When we have leaders who are
teachers, ordinary people become equipped for ministry.
Jesus is described as a master teacher. Through His work He demonstrated the highest
qualities of a great teacher. When we
examine the Scripture closely Christ used teaching more than any other
technique. Throughout Scripture Jesus is
referred to as teacher, Rabbi.
Jesus knew His subject and He knew how to teach it. Finally Christ lived what He taught. And as leaders this is a critical piece. We cannot tell those we lead, “Do as I say
and not as I do.” Followers today demand
leaders of integrity. As leaders we need
to role model the behavior that we seek in others. Just as Jesus role modeled this behavior, so
must we.
Take time to teach others while you lead. A crucial outcome of leadership is the
ability to produce leadership in someone else.
Prayer
God of wisdom, in your goodness you provide faithful teachers for Your glory. Your Son came among us as the Master Teacher and Leader. By Your Holy Spirit give all teachers and leaders inspiration and insight into Your Holy word, lives that are examples to all, and the courage to know and do the truth. Enable teachers and leaders to train the hearts and minds of new leaders so that they may grow in Your will and be prepared to face challenges firm in Your wisdom. Through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
Lead Like Jesus recently posted on their Facebook feed that Jesus
has a way of taking us on life-transforming journeys, and nothing is left
untouched: personality, business, or relationships.
Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D (2009) offers a few traits of a
transformational leader, (I have added examples from Scripture that illustrates
how Jesus fulfills each of these.)
·I would never require a follower to do something
that I wouldn't do myself. (Jesus explains clearly the definition of a servant
leader. In Scripture there are many
examples from foot washing to the Cross.
One example is Luke 22:27 (NIV) For
who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not
the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.)
·I have clear goals for my team. (Jesus offers the Great Commission: Matthew
28: 19-20 (NIV): 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.)
·I am attentive when it comes to the personal
needs of my followers. (Jesus knew His followers, His Disciples. He knew just what each needed in order to be
successful.)
·I challenge my followers to get out of their
comfort zones. (Many of the parables and approaches of Jesus challenged His
disciples and others to get out of their comfort zones.)
·I encourage my followers to question their most
basic way of thinking. (Jesus taught the disciples many lessons, The Beatitudes
are one example, Matthew 5: 1-12 (NIV)).
Encountering and experiencing the glory of God transforms
everything in our lives. As Jesus was
transfigured on the mountain top we can be transformed in the renewing of our
minds and our faith in Christ Jesus.
Romans 12: 2a tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
When we lead through transformation we change our
perspective and the perspective of others around us. We can empower and encourage others to
complete the seemingly impossible. Jesus
regularly challenged His disciples to move beyond the ordinary and move into
the extraordinary.
A transformative leader is the kind of leader who motivates
and inspires others to perform at the highest levels.
Psalm 37:30 (NIV) says, “The mouths of the righteous utter
wisdom, and their tongues speak what is just.”
Transformative leaders understand that they must speak life
into those they lead. Lift your
followers up. Invite the discussion from
those you lead about the projects you are working on. When people feel supported by their leader
they are motivated to perform at higher levels.
When everyone performs at greater levels more is achieved and God is
glorified.
Transformative leaders empower others by keeping everyone
fully in the know. People want and need
to know that they are insiders within the organization.
People do not want to be an outsider to something that they
belong to. Keeping team members in the
dark does nothing to promote or move the organization forward.
Use your words to bring joy and life to those around you
today. The health of your relationships depends on what you say about others.
Mark Brouwer said, “A man is only a leader when a follower
stands beside him.” The conventional
mindset is that followers serve their leaders.
But this is really not the case. John
Maxwell has an entire book devoted to developing other leaders.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 (NIV).
Our desire is to become what God has called us to be. By doing so, our life comes into alignment
with his will. As a leader we can be
used by God to help others discern their life’s calling.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs
27:17 (NIV).
Mentoring relationships are a partnership. When working with young leaders (who may not
even know yet that they are called to leadership) we need to walk side-by-side and
challenge and support them. As a leader,
if you delegate tasks you will develop followers. If you delegate authority you will develop
leaders. This is a challenge to
conventional wisdom.
In your relationships with one another, have the same
mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:5 (NIV).
Just as Jesus modeled for all of us, the greatest responsibility
for leaders is the development of the next generation of leaders.
Jesus understood this concept well so well. Many would say that He called together quite
an unlikely bunch of guys to become his apostles. They included fishermen, a tax collector, a
zealot, and someone who would betray him.
He spent time developing them; equipping them for the task at hand. Matthew chapters 5 through 7 and Luke 6:20 –
49 explore the lessons He taught to prepare them to do the work His Father
prepared before them.
In preparing to send the Twelve apostles out Jesus delegated
and gave each authority to do the task.
He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he
might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:14 (NIV).
In Matthew 10:1 (NIV), “Jesus called his twelve disciples to
him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every
disease and sickness.”
Luke 9: 1-2 (NIV) 1When Jesus had called the Twelve
together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure
diseases, 2and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the
sick.
Acts 2 shows an ultimate act of delegation and equipping
when the Holy Spirit provided each apostle with the Gifts of the Sprit to do
the work they had been called to do in building the new Church.
As leaders we need to find those opportunities where we can
build other leaders up and prepare them for the work that they are called to
do. A sink or swim approach is not the
way to train new leaders. When you work
with young leaders look for those opportunities to challenge them to go beyond
what is comfortable and push to the edge of their experience yet provide the
support necessary for them to practice their new leadership skills.
When you send out new leaders do you give authority?
Last week I led a Bible study with college students
examining how we are salt and light.
We've been looking at Matthew 5 - 7.
This section can be viewed like a handbook for leadership and
discipleship. This day we were
specifically looking at Matthew 5: 13-20 (NKJV).
Believers Are Salt and Light
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its
flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot by men.
14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a
hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father in heaven.
Christ Fulfills the Law
17“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18For assuredly, I say to
you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means
pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19Whoever therefore breaks one of the
least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the
kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great
in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I say to you, that unless your righteousness
exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means
enter the kingdom of heaven.
The focus question for our time together was: What does it
mean for Jesus to commission you to be salt of the earth and light of the
world?
The Sermon of the Mount in Matthew 5 begins with Jesus
offering a series of blessings followed by a commissioning. Jesus leaves no ambiguity for his
followers. Jesus commissions them by
stating, “You are the salt of the earth. . . .You are the light of the world.”
As a master leader and teacher, Jesus uses common elements
of his day, salt and light, to illustrate His point. In Biblical times, salt was used to preserve food which
might otherwise rot and decay in the heat of the day. As a preservative, salt extended the length
of time for food to be edible. Salt was
a valuable commodity in part because of its quality of permanence. Pure salt does not lose its taste over
time. Salt remains salt. It is a needed element for a human body to
live.
Jesus also proclaims his followers to be light of the
world. There is no crash course for
becoming light. There is no manual to
read. It is by the grace of God a
follower of Jesus shines.
Some people prefer to be like salt, serving behind the
scenes. These salty followers of Christ
make an impact through their quiet means.
Other disciples of Jesus resonate with being light. Their impact is immediately detected. We each have a role to play. We don’t all have to have the same role or
responsibility.
In Romans 12: 6-8 (NIV) 6We have different gifts, according
to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in
accordance with your faith; 7if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching,
then teach; 8if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving,
then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show
mercy, do it cheerfully.
For me I find that I have been both and continue to be both
salt and light. I have had many times where I am salt in the lives of
others. In this space I work quietly to
enhance other’s experience by offering an encouraging word, being an accountability
partner, and praying for people in the privacy of personal space. Sometimes in these times my saltiness is
reserved, guided by the Holy Spirit to offer just enough. At other times my saltiness is more clear and
seen.
At other times I have found that I am the light. I have been guided by God into leadership and
teaching roles where I have need to be more “in front” in my work for God. I recall the experience of taking on a
leadership/ teaching role in an adult Bible study where the Pastor of the
Church we were attending asked the question in not so much an asking way. It was the best thing. Having that moment in light as light served
to bring me closer to Christ through the study in preparation for the sessions
that I would lead. At these times,
especially those where challenge by others will be present, I turn to God for
the strength, skills, or words I may need.
We are told in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who
strengthens me.”
We are all commissioned to be salt and light. How do you serve as salt and/or light?
Say So – Israel Houghton
Prayer
Jesus, you call and
commission us to be the salt of the earth and light of the world. We can be
neither without you. Empower us to be your visible community in the world. Open
our mouths and lives so we might proclaim your wisdom revealed through Jesus
Christ Amen
John 5: 2-9 (NIV) 2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. 5One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
Make a choice! to stop wallowing in self-pity. Clean up the mess in your life. Let the hurt go. And live the life Jesus died for you and wants you to have. To hold on to pain hurts you. Choose to get up and move on. Overcomer - Mandisa
