FLS: Week Three
Week Three – How To Lead Like Jesus
Jesus said many are called few are chosen. The gap between being called and being chosen is your preparation. The greatest need in our world today is for authentic, principled leaders who can change the world.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and its associated wars. He was Emperor of the French from 1804 until 1814 and again briefly in 1815. He is regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history and his campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide.
“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love, and at this hour millions of people would die for Him.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
The mission of this leadership course is to lead like Jesus. Throughout this course, we will dive into His practical leadership values and methods, but Jesus’ whole mission was to increase the belief his followers had in God and in Himself. Jesus’ whole mission is to increase your faith.
The truth is that every great leader is trying to get those following to believe – believe in the company, believe in the product, believe in the country, believe in them. However, the kind of belief Jesus created was supernatural. It has the power to change you. It has the power to change your family. It has the power to change everything around you. The greatest leadership gift you can give to others is to create belief.
Luke 5:1-11
1 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
How does Jesus go about creating belief? (We see this in Luke 5 with His disciples, and we see this still today in our own lives.)
1. Jesus personally asks His disciples to follow Him.
2. Jesus beckons His disciples to come into unfamiliar and uncharted waters.
3. Jesus challenges His disciples with things that are impossible.
4. Jesus challenges their thinking, their natural responses, and their reluctance.
5. Jesus asks us to learn to listen to His voice through His word.
6. Jesus asks us to swing for the fences.
7. Jesus asks us to believe in the Church with all our hearts.
Jesus said, upon this rock of revelation I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail. Unless there is a revelation, He cannot build his Church and the gates of hell will prevail. If you can learn how to experience Jesus for yourself, you will be profoundly and forever changed.
HOW TO LEAD LIKE JESUS
1. Jesus served people by leading them.
2. Jesus modeled the discipline of praying.
3. Jesus used “The Matthew Principle.”
- He chose people himself. He never “took out an ad” for volunteers. Jesus saw something in Matthew that no one else saw. You must look beyond the list to find a Matthew.
4. Jesus knew His limitations.
- He needed the Holy Spirit and understood that very well.
5. Jesus took authority over His world spiritually.
6. Jesus prayed all night before choosing his disciples.
- Have you ever prayed all night for anything?
7. Jesus believed in discipleship AND the Holy Spirit.
- It’s not either/or.
8. Jesus was unorthodox. He was an out-of-the-box leader, always shaking things up. Are you predictable?
9. Jesus asked hard questions.
- “Who do you say that I am?”
10. Jesus knew how to motivate people to go further than their reluctance. Push people to achieve more than they think they can.
11. Jesus asked His leaders to do things that seemed impossible.
- E.g., Feed them. He pushed them into the realm of faith. You must push the people who follow you into the realm of faith.
Remember, when someone tells you it can’t be done, think “I don’t believe you.”
12. Jesus could do things his followers couldn’t do. Can you?
13. Jesus knew how to deal with betrayers.
14. Jesus knew how to deal with leaders who fail under pressure.
- Jesus knew the answer was a fresh revelation of the cross and Himself. It always is.
15. Jesus was focused on the end game.
16. Jesus understood the need for development was the most important. This was His priority. There’s no point having the Holy Spirit if He fills empty vessels and not ready ones. There’s no point pouring water into jars with holes.
17. Jesus didn’t just pastor them, He led them.
- This meant He rebuked them.
18. Everywhere Jesus went, crowds followed.
- Is that happening to you? Why not? Is anyone following?
19. Jesus knew He was an heir and a son, with all that means.
- Galatians 4:1 – “Think of it this way. If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.”
20. Jesus knew how to find the right people.
- i.e.; He knew who He was after and could spot them.