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We only have two weeks left in our series on Transformed: How Jesus Changes Everything and if you have missed one, I want to encourage you to go to our youtube channel and check it out.
Today, we are going to talk about Transformed Leadership.
Now, there is no shortage of books, podcasts, youtube videos, and conferences about leadership.
Both from the church leadership perspective and from the business leadership perspective, the sheer amount of available advice and coaching is staggering.
I got bored of counting podcasts about leadership on the Apple Podcasts app when I got to 500.
The church of today has learned that there is much to learn from the business world in how to organize, inspire and equip people to serve God in our churches - and that’s awesome.
I believe we can learn from anyone, even if we disagree with them.
It’s also easy for churches and for Christian leaders to see the success of the business world and desire to have that ourselves.
And to do that, sometimes we adopt the leadership traits of those people who we deem successful.
But that is where care must be taken because Jesus came to transform our views of power, position and leadership and as his followers, it is incumbent upon us to learn how to lead like Jesus.
So, let’s go to the Bible and see what Jesus has to say about how to lead in the kingdom of God.
Pray.
I read a story this week about a time during the American Revolution when a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of American soldiers repairing a small, defensive barrier.
Their leader was shouting instructions, but making no attempt to help them.
Asked why by the rider, he retorted with great dignity, "Sir, I am a corporal!"
The stranger apologized, dismounted, and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers.
The job done, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr.
Corporal, next time you have a job like this and not enough men to do it, go to your commander-in-chief, and I will come and help you again."
And in that moment, the corporal realized that the man was George Washington.
Jesus came not just to save us from our sins, but to give us a new, more human way to live.
This new way is as part of the kingdom of God, where we live out the values of King Jesus as a testimony of his goodness.
And when it comes to leadership, power and position, Jesus valued something far different than those in power around him did.
In verse 24-25 of our passage it says that disciples got into a bit of an argument.
Jesus had just told them that one of them would betray him and they were all like, “Who would do that?”
and asserting that they could never betray Jesus.
This led to an argument about which one was the greatest disciple.
And that’s when Jesus invented the eye-roll.
I don’t know that for sure, but it seems as likely a time as any.
Here Jesus has laid his heart out about his upcoming death, shared this spiritual meal with them and washed their feet and they start arguing about who’s the best disciple?
So Jesus reminds them of how leadership, greatness, power and position work in the kingdom of God.
He says,
Using himself as an example, Jesus reminds them, and us, that true Christian leadership isn’t about power, prestige, or position.
It’s about serving one another.
To gain the fullness of the picture here, imagine yourself at this dinner.
You’re having dinner with God.
You know, God?
The one who created every star in the sky, who set the planets and moons into their orbits, who created the chains of dna that make up, you know, people.
The one through whom , and for whom, everything in heaven and on earth was created.
The one called the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
The all powerful, all knowing, ever present God who has become human so that by his death he could save and reconcile humanity to him.
He’s sitting across the table from you.
And then he gets up, takes off his outer cloak, has you come to him and then washes your nasty, dirty, stinky feet.
And then, as you all sit down at the table, he serve you a cup of wine and a piece of bread, sharing with you the significance of these emblems - that they represent his upcoming suffering and death.
One of the things that makes Jesus such a compelling person to follow, is that he practiced what he preached.
He, the one who deserves to be served, the one who is God incarnate and who lived sinlessly, is the one who serves others in humility.
And this story reminds us that for us today, the primary way that Jesus served us, was to give his life for us.
By linking service to Jesus’ sacrifice through the last supper, Jesus reminds us that the greatest act of service is the one he did for you and for me when he allowed himself to be crucified.
Our theology - our study of God as revealed in the Bible - is that through his death and resurrection, Jesus wipes the debt we owe for every sin and makes it possible for us to be reconciled to God.
How do we do that?
And maybe that’s what you’re ready to do today.
Has God been working in you, showing you he is real and you’re ready to put your faith in Jesus?
If that’s true, I invite you to pray with me.
Pray.
Through Jesus’ ultimate act of service - his death and resurrection, we have salvation.
But salvation is just the beginning.
Our salvation transfers us from the kingdom of darkness where we were, to the kingdom of Jesus and in Jesus’ kingdom, we are called to lead like he does.
“But I’m not a leader,” you may say.
And to that i reply “BALONEY” because leadership is influence over others and so everyone is a leader.
Parents are leaders, bosses are leaders, supervisors are leaders, friends are leaders, volunteers are leaders, everybody is a leader.
“Yeah, but, if everyone is a leader then no one is,” you retort.
And I hit back with “Good point.”
We can’t all lead in every situation.
Some places we lead, some places we follow.
You see, the world isn’t divided into leaders and followers.
We are both.
In fact, I would contend that the quality of your leadership flows out of how well you follow.
If you try to lead without being connected to Jesus, it becomes easy to be dependant on your skill, and not on the Holy Spirit.
That’s why Jesus says,
Your leadership is tied to how well you follow Jesus because Jesus transforms our leadership.
So, to help this teaching be practical in your life, I want to give you three ways that you can improve your servant leadership in your business, in your home or in the church.
1.
A Good Leader Trusts their team (vs.
8)
There is an old story of a father who took his young son out and stood him on the railing of the back porch.
He then went down, stood on the lawn, and encouraged the little fellow to jump into his arms.
"I'll catch you," the father said confidently.
After a lot of coaxing, the little boy finally made the leap.
When he did, the father stepped back and let the child fall to the ground.
He then picked his son up, dusted him off, and dried his tears.
"Let that be a lesson," he said sternly.
"Don't ever trust anyone."
I think that may have happened to some of you.
You trusted people at one time, but then they hurt you, let you down or weren’t there for you and now you struggle to trust anyone.
In fact, finish this sentence for me, “If I want it done right...”
But Jesus shows us a better path.
He shows us that a good leader trusts their team
Jesus trusted Peter and John to find the place, get the food, and get the meal cooked and on the table.
He equipped them to do the job by telling them where to get everything and made sure that they would succeed, but he trusted them to do it.
The God of Heaven and Earth trusted two, sinful, broken men to get a meal ready.
It’s not like he went to Mary and Martha and got them to do it.
That would have been too easy.
No, he asked two fishermen to handle it all.
Jesus trusted his team and he trusted them with something important.
And just like Jesus did, God calls us to equip, empower and trust our teams.
Now if you are in a business, you can substitute apostle for “manager” or “supervisor” or “team lead.”
If you are a parent, you can substitute “Pastor” for “Parent.”
If you have friends, substitute “prophets” with “friends” and you still have the same responsibility.
You are to equip God’s people to succeed.
And for those of you who struggle to trust people, see what it says in verse 16 when it says “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow.”
If you want to be healthy and you want a healthy organization, you need to to let each part do its work, even if you could do it yourself.
Jesus transforms our leadership and instead of being the boss over people, you get to be the one who equips, empowers and trusts them to succeed.
2. A Good Leader Models Serving (vs.
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