This Paradoxical Step of Jesus Seems Counterproductive For Leaders

Jesus Was The Greatest Leader Who Ever Lived

In John chapter six we read that many of Jesus’ disciples turned away and stopped following Him. This would seem to be a pivotal point in a preacher’s ministry. It would be a heartbreaking and crushing defeat to any of us. We might even wonder if we should keep preaching.

The Son of God seems to have simply dismissed the slight against Him.

Not only did He seem to dismiss the slight, Jesus brought the question to the Apostles—the question that would once again reinforce their faith. The question forced them to decide whether they would follow Jesus even if their friends abandoned Him.

At what could be considered one of the lowest points in the ministry of Jesus, He fearlessly risked even His own closest followers with one simple question:

“Do you also want to go away?”

Some people think that losing followers is the worst thing that can happen to a leader. After all, a leader leads others. If you "run off" your followers, you are not a leader. But Jesus taught us that leadership requires the courage to risk that very possibility.

Take the big steps.

Go the places you should go.

Lead with courage and faith.

Challenge people to deepen their level of commitment.

Do not become discouraged if people reject you or your message. Every now and then you have to give people the option: "Do you also want to go away?"

Ask them. Don't be afraid of the answer.

Leaders See Deeper Meanings

Nehemiah Saw More Than Walls

Look at the challenges you must lead people to overcome. Do not assume they see the problem in the same light as you. Is there deep,  emotional reason for them to achieve victory? Is there hope that they can accomplish it? Have you given the solution and thrown down a challenge to them?

Nehemiah was a great leader. He led the Jews to rebuild their city walls after they were destroyed by the Babylonians. The walls sat broken and charred for more than 70 years. He rallied the people of God and rebuilt them quickly and efficiently.

Nehemiah is a good example of leading people to accomplish a goal. It took such a man to get the people going in the right direction. People lived day after day in Jerusalem. As they walked outside to go to work they could easily see the rubble lying in the sun. The charred remains must have been a constant reminder that they were a defeated nation.

It took Nehemiah one visit to Jerusalem to make a difference. It is amazing how he accomplished it. He saw the walls for what they were and called the people to action to remedy the situation.

Nehemiah 2:17 states, "I said to them, 'You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.'"

After such a speech the people rallied behind him and rebuilt the walls. Sound a little too simplistic? It is possible that Nehemiah had a long speech and this is the cliff notes. It is also possible that these two sentences is all it took. Many of the greatest speeches in history were short.

Winston Churchill rallied a nation to hold their borders against a relentless German attack with five words. He walked to the podium and said with great style and enthusiasm, "Never, never, never give up."

Jesus taught one of the greatest lessons in the history of civilization. Reading it today takes about 10 minutes.

So Nehemiah rallied people with a couple of sentences. Here's how that happened.

1. He saw the walls for what they were. The people saw rubble and charred stone. He saw reproach.

2. He did not ask them to rebuild the walls. He asked them to restore their dignity by getting rid of the reproach.

3. He asked them to work with him, not for him.

See like a leader, not like a follower. Then share that vision with others.

Leading Toward Goodness

from http://tinyurl.com/c2mhps7

There was a wonderful showing of support for Chick-fil-A on August 1. Stores all around were selling out of food by the end of the day. The lines stretched out the doors and in some cases wrapped around the buildings. Traffic was terrible. And what may be the best thing about it is that there were protestors but no one was hurt. Everyone seemed to behave with dignity and integrity.

It was a great start. But what were we starting?

I like to think that we were starting a renewal of some kind. Maybe it was a step toward a spiritual awakening. That might sound silly, but only if you misunderstand the reason people gathered.

Undoubtedly a few people went to Chick-Fil-A to see if there would be fights. Others went because it was an issue of "free speech". The "media" in our country might consider that explanation to be preferable to the real agenda. In my opinion, people went because they are sick and tired of feeling like the minority always wins. For one shining day, decency and goodness prevailed! The media could not control what happened. They could not twist the information. The militant homosexuals were not able to intimidate as they usual do. For one day people felt like they won something important. It was a spiritual statement about our changing culture.

Perhaps this is a step toward renewal for the country. It really all depends on what people do today and in the future. Let's build on that and encourage more participation in spiritual matters. Apathy is a comfortable blanket and slips around us easily, but warm fires of encouragement will help them shed those blankets!

I want to share a few thoughts to help encourage people to be more involved in the important things.

Don't browbeat or guilt-trip

Guilt has no place in the discussion. If someone does wrong then they ought to feel guilty so that they might avoid that wrong the next time the opportunity arises. But when people do a good thing, they should never feel guilty about it.

We are not consistent. We ought to support Christ's church as much as we supported Chick-Fil-A.
We ought not to be hypocrites. We ought to be at church and have lines going out to the streets while the church leaders try to find places for the people to sit. No one can deny that growth is always possible and desirable. But let us also recognize the good that people do and build on that.

Encourage


The last thing we want to do is make people feel guilty for doing what is right.

"You support a chicken store but can't find your way to church!" This is not a good way to encourage anyone to attend a worship service. People respond to encouragement. We all like hearing that we did something good. We all like feeling like we won or that our actions matter in life. If we tell them that they did well and that they can continue to do well by going to church, we stand a chance of them listening to the advice.

Many people will go back to life as usual after their support of Chick-Fil-A, but perhaps they can be persuaded. We can teach them that they are doing what it takes to make a difference in the country and in their own lives. We can remind them that the outpouring of support included a spiritual dimension. Some people may not even realize the connection. If we lovingly show them, maybe we can encourage them to seek more spiritual activities that are more important and have long-lasting consequences.

Put them to work.


If we want people to be active, let us give them things to do and encourage them to do them. Let us teach and remind people of their spiritual duties. For example, let us remind them that worship is something people do, not something people go watch. Let us remind them that gathering together on Sunday shows support for more important things. If they are Christians, remind them that they have a purpose in life, and that purpose is as important as anything they can imagine. Remind them that their contributions to the work in money and in efforts make a difference. Let them know that they are appreciated and that they are vital.

It seems obvious that there are many people who want to be involved in spiritual matters to some degree or another. Some people may not understand. Some people may not know how to get involved. Some people  may need an encouraging word to get them going in the right direction. Wisdom seizes opportunity and makes the best of it.

So here is an opportunity, you intrepid spiritual soldiers of Christ. Here is a great opportunity to help people make one more step toward the Almighty. You who are leading the charge, have you rallied the troops behind you? You who are supporting the work and working diligently to help change people's lives, are you taking the opportunity to encourage and build up others in good work?

The process of personal growth and development is difficult. It is slow and often disappointing. But there are many up to the challenge. We need people who will create vision, give answers, and direct us toward noble adventures and achievements. Are you one of those people?


What are ways you can use a person's past achievements to encourage them to achieve more?