Living Hope Leadership 2

Living Hope Leadership 2

This is my second blog on leadership principles. Helping identify principles that will help you flourish in a ministry that is founded on the example that Christ gave us.

I will do so by taking up where we left off in the Gospel of John.

John 13:12-17 NASB

12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?

13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.

14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.

17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

The message that immediately jumps out at us is service. There was a service that needed rendered and Christ took it upon Himself to do so. He did it as an example, a teaching example of how we must do the same.

I get another lesson from theses passages and the life of Christ.

No matter your calling or level of ministry. Whether you are part of the five fold ministry. “Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Teacher, Evangelist” “or someone with specific gifts and callings in the body if something needs done and you have the means to do it. Then do it.”

Pride or position must not limit your service. He was the Son of God. He is our example of ministry.

His ability to do this came from His acceptance and realization of several things. I will share four for your consideration.

One

All things had been put in His hands.

Everything He would need to succeed was at His disposal. So it is with those whom He calls and anoints to lead. Putting in your heart a service to render to His people is nothing short of a Divine call to do so.

John 3:35 NASB

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

Romans 8:32 NASB

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Two

He understood His true identity.

John 10:38 NASB

but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

Romans 8:14-15 NASB

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Understanding who you are goes a long way to help you do the things that Christ did. It is never about you. It is always about Him and rendering service to someone in need. That is what every form of ministry is. Meeting a need.

Your calling and your ministry will be a work of grace for the glory of God. Even though we have been given all things we must be willing to impart these things to others. “Freely you have received, freely give.”

Three

He knew He had a destiny.

John 18:4 NASB

So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”

You also have a destiny

Psalm 139:13-16 NASB

13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Has God spent so much thought on us that He would not have a plan for our lives. I will never believe that. He has planned good things for all His children. Some, like you that are here He has destined to serve in even greater measure than we all must serve.

Four

He had a profound security in His Father’s love. Let me read a passage I mentioned earlier again.

John 3:35 NASB

The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.

We have also been given this security if we will believe His words.

John 15:9 NASB

Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

John 16:27 NASB

for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

This may sound like beginners class and in some ways it is. We need to understand that things are not always as complicated as people tend to make them seem.

The very foundation of becoming a leader and developing a ministry in service for the kingdom of God is following the example of Christ. What He taught us was not complicated.

If you will understand that He has given you all things to succeed. Know who you are in Christ. Trust in Him to move you forward in the destiny He has planned for you and remain unwavering in the love that He has for you, you will be strong in leadership and ministry.

The more you lay hold of God’s riches, the more you will be capable of serving others.

Mark 9:33-37 NASB

33 They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?”

34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.

35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

36 Taking a child, He set him before them, and taking him in His arms, He said to them,

37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

I think it is interesting that He asked them what they were talking about and they would not answer. He knew the topic because he knew their hearts so He began to address greatness in His upside down theology.

If you want to be first you have to be last and you have to be servant to all.

Matthew recorded a similar discussion when the mother of the sons of Zebedee asked for her sons to sit in places of honor in His kingdom. Christ taught leadership and ministry in His response.

Matthew 20:26-28 NASB

26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

27 and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

I want to close these foundational principles with an example of the upside down theology. Where we have to go down to come up and what happens when we faithfully serve as Christ did. Following His example.

Philippians 2:5-11 NASB

5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,

7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

You see when you follow His plan for leadership you will have to give up something now; so you can get something better in the future.

#lovewins #hopelives