Because God made us all in His own image, we all are leaders. Jesus
lived and taught Servant Leadership. This is not an option for the
Disciple of Jesus, it is the only option. Our service, good example
and deliberate goals for empowering others, are potent tools for
positive influence.
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Week 2. Lead Like Jesus
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Objective: Participants will review how Jesus led, identify their
current leadership preferences and commit to leading like Jesus.
Key Terms: Servant Leadership
Biblical examples: Jesus
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among
you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you,
let him be your servant, even as the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for
many. Mathew 20- 26-28 ASV
"The master was full of praise. 'Well done, my good and faithful
servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now
I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'
Mathew 25:21 NLT
The king's favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But His anger is toward
him who acts shamefully. Proverbs 14:35
Jesus taught and practiced Servant Leadership, leaving no one indifferent.
He sought to impact His public not just with His words but through
many actions ranging from the ordinary to the miraculous. He came to
both save and serve.
Please watch this video (children see/children do):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JrtpCM4yMM
Servant Leadership transformation process
Leader works on his character ---> Leader serves his people and
builds them up as leaders ---> Leader and his (empowered) people work
on goals ----> Transformed society.
Conscious of the fact that Jesus had (and still has a clear goal for
His disciples): "Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with
Him and that He might send them out to preach." (Mark 3:14).
What can we leaders learn from the example of Jesus? How did He do it?
1. The law of Picture- People do what people see.
He was an example to his followers. He influenced them through His
example. What you sow is what you reap. What do you sow as a leader
either in the life of your followers or those that are in your sphere
of influence? You may have the right words and speak in the right way
but your actions may be contrary to what you say. Your words may be
loud but your actions even louder! What are some of the things you
will like to see in your group/family/children/church?
Write them: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do you manifest them in your life? As my friend Melvis says, "Give
what you want!"
2. He added value to others. Leaders add value to others by serving them.
A leaders ultimate goal should be to make people better than when he
met them. David, Nehemia, Moses, Abraham, Paul etc these leaders led
their people to a much better place than where they found them. Do you
have a goal for adding value in your followers lives? When we think of
leadership generally, serving others is the last thing that comes to
mind. We want to be served. To sit in the best seats and enjoy favors!
A leader seeking to build his influence has to go through a change in
paradigm. What kind of a Fortune 500 CEO works on a folding table,
answers his own phone, visits hourly employees as often as possible,
and is criticized by Wall Street for being too good to his employees?
The kind of leader who understands the Law of Addition. You however
cannot add value to others if you do not:
a. Add value to yourself. Jesus rose up early to pray. He went apart
away from the crowds (Luke 5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely
places and prayed.), to be with the Father and when He came back, He
came with solutions to their problems. David and Moses did the same.
You can add value to yourself by:
- Imitating Jesus. Spend quality time with the Father and obey.
- Knowing the word. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as
a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the
word of truth.
-Having a mentor (Def-"a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.").
Barnabas > Paul > Timothy. "As iron sharpens iron, so one person
sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:17).
Moses was mentored by his father-in-law Jethro (Exodus 18). The
mentoring relationship between Eli and Samuel prepared Samuel for the
tasks and responsibilities that were his after Eli's death (1 Samuel
1–4). Jesus mentored His disciples (Luke 9). Barnabas mentored Paul
and Paul excelled in mentoring Timothy, Titus and many others (Acts
9–15).
- Growing in your knowledge - "For this very reason, make every
effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge" (2
Peter 1:5). Be informed. Information is power. Study History in the
light of scriptures. Look at what science says and some arguments men
have made. Have an idea on politics. This will add value to you as a
leader and enrich your communication.
b. Truly valuing others. Jesus did not just want followers or
disciples. He cared for them, He knew each one and what they needed to
grow. He prayed for each of His disciples and His people. He cared and
people knew He sincerely cared. Give all your worries and cares to
God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 Do you know the names of
your members/followers? Do you know at what stage they are in their
walk with God? Do you pray for them regularly? Do you show them that
you value them ( Husband, children, wife, church/team members,
followers)?
Pastor- Can a member talk to you, knowing you will listen to them and
pray for them without necessarily being Judgmental or seeking to leak
out their sin to the public?
Husband/mother- Can you wife/children come to you with their issues
knowing you will value their contribution? Do they seek you out for
counsel or go to someone else?
c. Knowing and relating to what others value. What do your people
value? How do you tie this in with your actions? You can only meet a
need when you know that need. If you need discernment, ask the Holy
spirit and He will give you the ability to discern.
3.He connected with His team: Leaders touch a heart before they ask
for a hand. This is the same practice when you're seeking to impress
and hopefully win a lady's heart! Jesus built His disciples and poured
out His life into them. How often do we see through the crowd and only
consider the goals? Each individual is unique and has their own issues
they're dealing with. A leader needs to seek to connect with
individuals. How do you do that?
a- Work on your Emotional Intelligence. Emotional intelligence (EI)
is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, and those
of the people around you. People with a high degree of emotional
intelligence know what they're feeling, what their emotions mean, and
how these emotions can affect other people.
b- Be proactive not reactive. Work to seek solutions not react to situations.
c- Effective communication. A good communicator is a good listener.
In summary: "Walk slowly through the crowd"- John Maxwell.
4. He made the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus gave His very own life for
our salvation. The Bible makes us understand God's motive for this
ultimate sacrifice was love. Love for the world John 3:15-17! While
you are not expected to lay down your life (Jesus already did that),
how can we follow Jesus in His love? A leader must give up to go up.
Do you love the people you lead? What would you give up for the people
(Church, Family etc.) you lead? Sleep, food, secret sins,
procrastination, laziness (Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!) etc.???
5. He had Discernment. He was able to read situations, trends,
Himself, His resources and the people. Every time is not a good time.
The law of intuition states that "Leaders evaluate everything with a
Leadership Bias". A leader with discernment, leans on the Holy Spirit
and grows in their ability to ;
- Read themselves. Know your strengths and weaknesses. Where can you improve?
- Read their situations. Is the timing right? Look at all the details.
- Read trends. What is happening generally?
- Read their resources. What do I have and how can I maximize?
- Read their people. What is happening among your people? EI. What are
their hopes, desires, and fears?
Use your head to lead yourself and your head to lead others (Maxwell)
Assignment:
1. Write down two ways you can add value to yourself and others this week.
2. Write down for each group you lead, one way in which you can
connect with them this week.
3. Write down 3 principal things you learned and some major changes
you need to make as a result of this session.
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Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for [so] I am. 14 If I
then, [your] Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to
wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that ye
should do as I have done to you.16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The
servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater
than he that sent him.17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye
do them.
John 13:13-17 AV
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