Jesus the Disciplemaker - Part Four Leadership Development

Later this week our ladies are going to get together for WIN - Women’s Inspirational Network. The purpose of WIN is to provide a program that you can bring a friend to where they can hear a little bit about what it means to be a Christian in a low-key, friendly, and practical way.

It’s also a place where you can be creative with crafts. And every month, I’m impressed with the beautiful crafts projects that you WIN ladies make. For example, last month, you made a very attractive brooch out of old leftover buttons. This month, you are going to make a beautiful heart wreath out of old dried up grape vines and scraps of material.

It’s amazing to me how you can take something that’s seemingly useless, unwanted, and unattractive and make something so beautiful out of it.

But then, that’s what Jesus does with us, isn’t it? He takes lives that are going nowhere and makes something beautiful out of them. And the process he uses is the disciplemaking process.

We’ve been studying that process over the past three weeks because, not only did Jesus use that process himself, but he wants us to use it as well. He wants us to be disciplemakers. He wants FBC to be a disciplemaking church.

Now we’ve discovered that there are four steps in the process that Jesus used to make disciples. Let’s review them again.

Step 1 - Building relationships. Remember, Jesus spent almost half of his public ministry on this step. He invested time in building relationships with lost people. And as those people began to get to know him, they became committed to him.

Step 2 - Equipping for ministry. Having established those relationships with several key men, Jesus challenged those men to a deeper level of commitment. He said “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. I will equip you to have a greater impact, and a greater purpose in your life than you have ever had before.”

Step 3 - Involvement in ministry. As Jesus began to equip them, he began to give them opportunities to experience what ministry was like. He let them get their feet wet. He got them involved in what he was doing, and also in doing things on their own. He sent them out to preach.

Now we come to Step 4, the final step in the disciplemaking process - Leadership Development. As Jesus watched these men in ministry, he began to identify several of them whom he felt he could train to take over the leadership of the ministry once he was gone.

And so we read, in Mark 3:13

Jesus went up on a mountainside (Luke tells us that he had spent the whole night before in prayer) and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.

These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

How did Jesus know that these were the men he wanted? How did he arrive at the conclusion that these men were the ones he could trust to take over the most important assignment that the world has ever known?

He identified them on the basis of character. Although these guys were far from perfect, and they had a lot of growing to do, Jesus saw in them a yieldedness of spirit, a teachable attitude, that gave him the confidence that they could do the job. And even so, one of them, Judas Iscariot, turned out to be a bad apple.

A spiritual leader qualifies to be a spiritual leader—qualifies to be entrusted with the leadership of a ministry—on the basis of character. Period. There is no other qualifying criteria.

Not credentials. A man may have had all sorts of formal training for ministry. He may own several academic degrees to his name. He may have a wonderful resume. But that does not qualify him to be a leader.

Neither is he qualified on the basis of charisma. He may be very personable, and likeable. He may be a very dynamic speaker, or musician. He may be very comfortable in front of the spotlights and have one of those magnetic personalities that draw people to him. But that does not qualify him for spiritual leadership.

Nor does competence. He may be very good at doing certain things. He may have a lot of ability and talent. He may have an impressive track record of accomplishments in the business world. But that does not qualify him to be a spiritual leader.

A spiritual leader qualifies on the basis of character—not credentials, not charisma, not competence.

Turn with me to 1 Timothy 3. We have here a list of qualifications for spiritual leadership in the church. There is a similar list in Titus 1. Let’s look at it…

Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

Now as you look at that list, I hope you notice that issues of character are paramount. There is only one qualification that has anything to do with ability, and that is the ability to teach.

Another thing that comes out quite strongly is the matter of testimony. A man’s reputation matters. He must have a good reputation, not only in the church, but also in the community at large.

What are outsiders saying about him? How does he conduct himself in the workplace—is he a good employee? How is he thought of in his neighborhood? Is he someone that people are glad to live next door to? How does he handle himself on the playing fields? Does he have a hold of his temper?

What about his financial affairs? Would the IRS give him a clean bill of health? How about the various credit-rating firms? Does he keep promises and commitments?

You see, all of these things matter very much because a reputation is built on character, and character is what qualifies a man to be a spiritual leader.

I believe that when Jesus chose these 12 men, it wasn’t just an arbitrary choice. He saw men who were not perfect, but men who were intent on one thing—following the Master. And because they were committed to following Jesus, they were growing in character and spiritual maturity. (All except for Judas, and he was there by divine appointment to fulfill prophecy.)

As a church, we need to make sure that we are always seeking out men and women of character to serve as the leaders of this ministry. And we need to be diligent in training them and developing them to be leaders.

Incidentally, the Bible teaches that the office of overseer, or elder, in the church is gender-specific to men. There are other positions of spiritual leadership that are open to women—and that is attested to throughout the NT in the lives of godly women like Priscilla, Phoebe, Lydia, Dorcas, and many others who were very active in the local church. But the office of elder is for males only. And if you have a problem with that, your argument is with God, not with me.

There’s another thing about spiritual leadership development that we must not forget. A spiritual leader must not be a new convert.

1 Timothy 3:6 says “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.”

When Jesus chose the 12, he was choosing men that he knew and knew well. He had seen them in action, he had spent a lot of time with them. He knew what they were made of. There were no surprises, even in the case of Judas.

And that is important for us to remember. Because often we can be quick to place into a position of leadership one who is relatively unknown to us. We may be swayed by his personality, impressed with his ability, awed by his accomplishments. But remember, that is not the criteria we are to use to choose.

It’s character. And a new Christian simply hasn’t had time to establish a track record or build a solid testimony. That’s why Paul said to Timothy in 1 Tim. 5:22 “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands”. In other words, don’t be quick to put people into positions of spiritual leadership or authority when you don’t really know much about them.

Because there is a very great danger involved in spiritual leadership. There’s the danger that the authority that goes with spiritual leadership—remember, Jesus gave his disciples authority when he sent them out to preach—there’s a danger that that authority might go to one’s head. That he might become conceited, puffed up, impressed with his own position and power.

Remember, that’s what happened to the devil. Satan was originally one of the highest angels of God. Yet he became proud of his position, and once pride is awakened, it always wants more. Pride is never satisfied. Satan desired to be equal with God. And that’s what made him the devil.

That gets me to my third point. A spiritual leader must have the heart of a shepherd and the spirit of a servant.

Turn to 1 Peter 5. It always amuses me that the Bible refers to us as sheep. People are like sheep. Now if you know anything about sheep, you know that they are not particularly intelligent. There are brilliant dogs and brilliant horses, but there are no brilliant sheep. Their intellectual capacity is very limited.

And sheep are not very courageous. They frighten easily, and they don’t enjoy standing alone. They would much rather go where the rest of the flock is going. They are very dependent animals. They need someone to show them where the food is and how to get there. They need someone always watching over them to see that they don’t get lost. They need a protector who will be defend them against predators.

And it is with this in mind—that people are like sheep—that Peter says

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

A shepherd is somebody who cares about sheep. He’s not in it for the money; he’s not in it for the power, or the accolades. He’s in it because he cares about sheep. He’s a shepherd because he simply loves sheep, with all of their failings, with all of their frustrating habits and limitations.

A spiritual leader must be like that in his attitude toward his people—he must have the heart of a shepherd. He must be gentle with his people, remembering that they are like sheep. He must be faithful in providing for them—leading them to good pasture where they can be nourished spiritually. And he must be courageous in defending them and protecting them against the evil influences that would ravage the flock.

A spiritual leader must have the heart of a shepherd in the way that he relates to his people.

And he must have the spirit of a servant in the way that he relates to himself and his relationship with his Master. Turn to Mark 10:42.

Jesus selected the twelve to apostles so that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach. You’re going to be no good in ministry unless you have first spent time with Jesus.

And as he spent time with his men, Jesus taught them many lessons about leadership. One of the most important is found here in Mark 10. Let’s read it.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.

Leadership in the kingdom of God is not like leadership out there in the world. Leadership out there in the world has a lot of self tied up in it. You rise to a position of leadership. You get a raise in pay, and maybe some stock options. You begin to get recognized as a leader. People begin to hold the door for you, and call you “sir”, and jump to your beckon call.

You get leadership “perks”, like a special parking place, and a nice corner office with a view, and the key to the executive washroom. And that’s all very nice—it’s not hard to get used to that kind of treatment at all.

But leadership in the kingdom of God is different. To go up you go down. You become a servant.

Now a servant is someone who is under orders. A leader out there in the world is someone who barks orders and gets everybody else marching to the beat of his drum.

But a servant in the kingdom of God is different. He is not a giver of orders; he is a receiver of orders from the Master. His leadership role involves having authority over the people who are under his care. But that authority flows, not from the fact that he is a leader who has any personal authority of his own, but from the fact that he himself is under the Master’s authority.

Jesus said, in v. 45, your leadership should follow the pattern of my leadership.

Now when Jesus came to earth, it says in Phil. 2:7 that he took the very nature of a servant. We see him in that role—the role of a servant—when he washed the disciples feet. Now as he knelt before their feet with a towel around his waist and a basin of water in his hands, I ask you: Who had more authority at that moment? Did the disciples have authority over Jesus, or did Jesus have authority over them?

Well the answer is obvious. Jesus always had more authority over the disciples, even when he was washing their feet. But Jesus himself was under the authority of God the Father. And he had come to earth to minister to the disciples and to give his life for them in direct obedience to the will of God the Father. And if you are a spiritual leader, you are to follow that model.

You will find yourself in a serving relationship to those who are under you, not because they have more authority than you, but because you are responding to the Father’s authority over you. And he has called you to serve them.

Being a spiritual leader does not mean that you are under the authority of those you serve. It means that you are under the authority of the God who has called you to serve them.

Someone has said that you’ll never know whether you have the spirit of a servant until you are treated like one. And many times, being treated like a servant is not very much fun. Servants are taken for granted. They are expected to their duty and more besides. They shouldn’t expect to have a great fuss made over them just because they’ve done their job. Jesus spoke a parable about that.

If you want to be a spiritual leader, that’s a noble ambition. But the way up is to go down, and learn to be a servant.

We’ve come to the end of our study on the disciplemaking process. Or maybe I should say that we’ve just come to the end of the beginning of our study.

To sum up, there are three tasks that Jesus calls us to do as disciplemakers.

1. To win the lost so that they become believers

2. To equip believers to become workers

3. To train workers to become leaders

Which part of that process requires more of God’s power and the Holy Spirit’s ministry? They all do. It’s the work of God from beginning to end. Let’s ask Him to make it happen in this church.