ABC's of Biblical Leadership (The Nurturing Leader) Mid-week Study

This past Sunday at the gathering of Champions we talked about spiritual maturity. I think I mentioned briefly that maturity is usually the result of nurturing. We’ll talk about that tonight and I’ll follow up this conversation Sunday. But first, I need to make sure we all understand why are we talking about this?

We are all leaders to some degree

We are all being lead to some degree

In case you’re new here, and for those of you who have been here a few times and maybe just haven’t noticed, I’m a huge fan and follower of Jesus. I take seriously, the fact that Jesus died for my sins and I firmly believed that God had the power to, and did, raise that same Jesus from the dead, just as Jesus predicted He would.

For me, anyone who can predict their own death down to the detail, and pull off the resurrection from it, just as he said he would, well that guy is worth getting to know. So, I tend to read a lot about what Jesus did and said, and other than dying on the cross for the sins of the world, I am sincerely trying to be like him in every way possible. I hope you are too.

And that’s why today, I want to help us understand what Jesus meant when he told his disciples the following words recorded in Matthew 18:3-5

Matthew 18:3–5 NIV

3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

(Pray)

If you were to look through my pics on my profile you might find an old picture of my children when they wanted to be like their parents. In one particular photo, my kids were really dressing the part. I had just separated from the USAF and my wife was in school for culinary arts, and in that picture, my son is wearing my actual uniform and my daughter has on my wife’s chef’s hat.

Now I have other pics, one of my son helping me mow the lawn with his little plastic lawn mower and another of my daughter serving my wife breakfast in bed but I think posting that one would get me into trouble. So hopefully, the one picture I’ve already described will help orient you to the point I’m trying to make today.

That is, I imagine that every person in here or watching online has had a moment like this in their lifetime. Perhaps, ladies, you put on your mother’s heels and purse, and walked around the house like you were shopping at the mall. Some of you guys pretended to fix a car, or smoked candy cigarettes, depending on the example you had.

If you’re a parent you know what it’s like to see your little ones acting like you, mimicking your behavior while following you around the house. Believe it or not, we can tell a lot about parents by watching their children. There’s something innate in all children that makes them behave like their parents to some degree. Some argue that it’s in their nature while others believe it’s a matter of nurture.

Then there are those of us who would suggest that it’s both. Hence the truth in the old proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” If I can be bold today, I would argue that the deconstruction of the village mentality due to our current generation’s preference for individualism, is the reason social tension, awkward gatherings, and the perpetuation of fractured relationships, and dare I mention, confused identity is at an all-time high. It is, therefore, in my humble opinion, the absence of great leaders, and I emphasize the absence of great leaders, in our villages that are truly responsible for the woes in our community.

For proper context, let’s read our text again, but this time, we’ll start at Matthew 18:1-5

Matthew 18:1–5 NIV

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

It seems that the door to the hall of greatness is opened by the key called service. Like the child eager to mow the lawn, prepare breakfast in bed, and yes, even don a uniform in service to his country, the greatness of a leader is determined by the level of his or her service to others. Why would anyone get in the way of that? Why do some people work so hard to diminish the character of those who would dare to serve? Should we not lead by serving those who serve? If we are going to compete for greatness, we should do so by serving the most. But instead, we set traps, spread rumors, and defame character in hopes that those who serve, would stumble and ultimately fall.

Maybe we don’t want them to fall. Maybe we just want them to stumble enough for us to get ahead. That’s not so bad. Right? Wrong! According to Jesus, Matthew 18:6

Matthew 18:6 NIV

6 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Listen, God does not play when it comes to his children. And Jesus is saying, “Be careful how you handle God’s children. If you are the reason people stop coming to serve, if your attitude or the way you treat people make them question the love of God, you are in a dangerous place. And Jesus is trying to help you before it’s too late. But sadly, some people have a tendency to refuse help.

Matthew 18:7 NIV

7 Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

Again, Jesus is saying, “Don’t let it be you!” And then he gives us some great advice. He tells us to take drastic measures to make sure it’s not us.

Matthew 18:8–9 NIV

8 If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

Don’t miss this, ladies and gentlemen. Remember, we are the body of Christ. But sometimes there are parts of the body that just don’t want to act right. And if that part of the body is causing you to stumble, I don’t care if it’s your best friend from elementary school, your favorite cousin, or your momma. If they are causing you to stumble, if they are troubling your walk with Jesus, if they are keeping you caught up in bad habits and wrong behaviors, cut them off!

Can I go a little bit further. Can I tell you what else Jesus said. He feels some kind of way about the little ones. Which means he feels some kind of way about you, and me. Here it is.

Matthew 18:10–14 (NIV)

10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

11 If your bible excludes verse 11, don’t panic. Some manuscripts exclude it because they believe it was placed by a scribe as a note for context. It’s the same as Luke 19:10 which reads, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?

13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.

Brothers and sisters, we have to stop killing what God is nurturing. We have to stop hating who God is blessing. In fact, we should learn to hate the things God hates and love the things He loves. Look around you. Every person who you saw, is a person God loves. And maybe you’d be happy to see them go, but that would break God’s heart. So it should break yours too.

I want you to imagine what your home would look like if you committed to nurturing each other. Like a child, willing and excited about helping whenever and wherever they can, what would our church look like if people desired to serve instead of being served. To nurture and care for God’s children.

What would our community look like if we decided to serve those who serve. How can we serve first responders, educators, and community leaders? Don’t just think about it. Be about it.

As always, thanks for joining and sharing this live tonight. I pray I’ll see you Sunday, in person at the Gathering of Champions. 10am sharp. God bless!