Leading from the Middle
How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement
In my new book, I ask, “How much does what we do to lead a movement called the church look like what Jesus did to launch a movement called the church?” Check out a few paragraphs.
Let’s go back to the question with a small twist. “Tasked with leading a movement that would take the mission of Jesus to every tongue, tribe, and nation globally, how would you lead?”
Jesus was leading a movement, and His strategy was to make friends and train them to further the movement. When we recognize that Jesus was leading a movement and understand His strategy, we can see the value He placed upon training His disciples. If we are honest, we will also have to admit that we do not lead like Jesus even though we are tasked with the leadership in the same movement.
We are in possession of the Gospel, the very power of God. We are in-dwelt by God the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God within us. We have been adopted by the Father, who has made us His very own and declared that He loves us, we are His, and He is pleased that this is true.
We are friends and partners with Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer, Who was dead and now lives, Whose sacrifice satisfied God’s holiness and justice. We are God’s ambassadors. We are in possession of the very words He spoke to His friends and partners in ancient times, and we even put Jesus’ words in red. If we are going to understand how Jesus leads, we must first recognize what Jesus led.
Jesus led a movement to tear down the very gates of Hell. He crushed the serpent’s head, defeated death, and proclaimed freedom for all enslaved by sin. Jesus led a movement to free generations of people who had been lost to sin, death, and the grave. Jesus led a movement to restore life to the world, to give hope to the hopeless, and turn darkness into light, death into life, and people into His very own.
Jesus led a movement that transformed prisoners into preachers, villains into heroes, masters into servant leaders, the lost into found, and orphans into children of God. Jesus led a movement that cannot be defeated and will stand in persecution, abandonment, and fiery trials without being abandoned, crushed, or burned.
Thanks for reading a few paragraphs from my new book. The question stands for all of us, pastor, church leader, and follower of Jesus. “What if we were tasked to take the good news of Jesus to every tongue tribe and nation?” We are, and the one who gave us the task is also the one who showed us how. Make disciples who make disciples.
(*Leading From the Middle - How the Leadership of Jesus Launched a Movement by Leonard Lee will be available for presale soon. Stay tuned for details on how to order!)