Leading Unlikelies

"Jesus loves terrorists. He loves Muslims. He loves rebels, critics, Democrats, liberals, gays, socialists, Communist comrades, Republicans, sassy teenagers, Goths, pot smokers, and ex-cons. Even worse, He wants them in His church. He even wants them on the front row of your church. In John 4, Jesus reached out to a crass, sleeping-around woman, and then went with her to the village to reach her friends as well. Jesus led a lot of “unlikelies.”

Jesus’ Lot of Unlikelies: • Zacchaeus – Jesus invited Himself to the home of a treacherous 
tax collector, not worrying about public opinion. • Woman Caught in Adultery – Jesus forgave an adulteress without first insisting that she confess her sins and make things right. • Peter, James and John – Jesus hung out with rough fishermen, synagogue rejects, violent terrorists, and soldiers of the occupational forces. • Simon the Zealot – Jesus called an urban terrorist to be on His team. The Zealots were an illegal political faction, committed to the violent overthrow of the Romans.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem but raised in Nazareth, a Galilean fishing village. He recruited a crew of fishermen - unlikely leaders among the young men of Galilee - as His first disciples, the future leaders of His movement. He didn’t start with graduates of the best Torah schools or followers of the most respected rabbis as His first disciples. He modeled the principle that it is better to raise up insiders than to import outsiders.

A pastor friend recently told me a story of welcoming a known prostitute to his church congregation. At a church function for young people, she stripped down to a bikini and jumped in the swimming pool with the rest of the youth swimming at the party. Watching some older parishioners in his church looking at her with wide eyes and hard stares, he decided to prevent the certain judgment they were going to visit on the woman. He took off his shoes and jumped in the pool with her...clothes and all!

There are unlikelies all around us who have dismissed the church but are fascinated with Jesus. The most secure and courageous leaders are willing to risk rejection from the religious to reach the unlikelies.

Consider your circle of relationships. Is there anyone you might have overlooked for leadership training and development? Make a list of the least-likely candidates for leadership mentoring. Ask the Lord if you have overlooked anyone on that list.

If you would like to read the other 39 Chapters in my new book 'Leading Like Jesus' please click here to find it on Amazon Kindle. Or you can order a paperback copy at YWAM Publishing here.

Leadership Tests

This is another excerpt from my new book Leading Like Jesus.

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“God does not initiate every human situation that tests us, but he uses them all.

A leadership test is a crisis, big or small, that God uses to teach us to depend more deeply on Him. Testing is one of the least understood aspects of God’s ways. We often ignore God’s testing in our lives, to our great detriment.

God-orchestrated tests in leaders’ lives usually produce one or two results: drawing them closer to God, or pushing them further from God. That is a choice we must make for ourselves - God will not force us to trust Him.

Below are the components of unique tests we go through as individuals and the common tests most leaders go through at some point.

Components of God-appointed Tests:

• Difficult Circumstances (or a crisis) - If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be a test.

• Desired Response - God wants us to seek Him

• Delight - God delights in our growth as we develop deeper dependence on Him. This is the reward He gives us for passing the test.

Common Tests for Leaders:

• Rejection - Dismissal by friends, family, or trusted co-workers

• Isolation - A wilderness time of loneliness or confusion

• God’s Silence - When God does not speak

• Integrity - To be true to our convictions no matter how hard

• Hearing God’s Voice - Knowing it is God speaking

• Obedience - Doing what God says, no matter the cost.

• Laying Down our Rights - Not insisting on having our way

• Word Test - Obeying God’s direction to us

• Faith Test - Believing God in spite of overwhelming odds

All leaders are tested and we will do well to recognize the test and its importance for our development as wise and faithful leaders.”

Planning Not to Be Needed

Every great leader is a leader who wants others to outdo him, to excel him and to replace him. The test of a leader is to be able to serve without a title or position... what a great challenge!  

“One aspect of a job well done as a servant leader is what we do to prepare others to carry on after our season of leadership is completed. Your personal succession planning efforts will speak volumes about your motives as a leader. It is likely that anyone leading from an ego involved in the promotion and protection of self is not going to spend much time training and developing their potential successor. In the use of His time and efforts on earth, Jesus modeled sacrificial passion for ensuring that His followers were equipped to carry on the movement.”

Blanchard, Ken, Phil Hodges. The Servant Leader. Nashville: J. Countryman, 2003.