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Leading with the Love of Jesus

As Jesus followers, we talk a lot about love. We talk about loving our neighbors, as well as our enemies. We talk about including strangers, as well as listening to people with whom we disagree. We do a lot of talking, but when do we put love into action?

Jesus says that the people in our neighborhoods and cities will know that we belong to him when we put love into action by loving one another the way he has loved us. Part of your responsibility as a Christ-centered leader is to help people love others as Jesus has loved them. To take your responsibility seriously, you have to model the love of Jesus by loving the way Jesus loved. You love the people who God has entrusted to your care.

Leading with Love 

Loving like Jesus is not easy. You are leading some people who put a lot of emphases on the social aspects of the gospel and at the same time you are leading others who put a lot of emphasis on the personal aspects of the gospel. How do you model for each group the love of Jesus? To add to the difficulty, you meet people with different experiences from your own. How do you love them?

Keep this in mind. In every human heart is the need to be loved and the need to be challenged to love. Everyone entrusted to your care is seeking to experience, understand, and express love in ways that make a difference in their lives and in the world in which they live. How will you model the love of Jesus for them? 

Again, this week,  use the pattern of Read, Reflect, Respond, Return as a tool to learn more of who you are as a Christ-centered leader.   

Read John 13:34-35 

Jesus says, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

Reflect

Some think the biggest challenge facing the church today is human sexuality. But there is a greater challenge. It is the challenge of loving others just as Jesus has loved us. Is it possible to love as Jesus loved in the world in which we live? 

Learning to love and modeling love is the challenge of every Christ-centered leader. But it is not only your challenge, learning to love is the challenge of the church, our nation, and the world. When our focus is on differences and disagreements, how do we walk together as sisters and brothers, united by the love of God? 

Love One Another

In the midst of cultural wars, we have made enemies out of the people who disagree with us. We have used the words of Jesus as instruments of pain and separation instead of instruments of agape and reconciliation. Jesus says that the mark of true discipleship is seen in how we love one another. 

Am I missing something when I think that Jesus meant for us to work on bringing people together instead of separating people? Instead of using words that vilify and demean aren’t we to use words of hope and encouragement? 

Only Love Can Do That

Martin Luther King, Jr., in his book, A Testament of Hope, wrote, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that… I have decided to stick to love…Hate is too great a burden to bear.” 

In his sermon titled, “Love Your Enemies,” King gives several reasons why Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” One reason he gave was this: 

“Jesus says to love your enemies because love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love, they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So, love your enemies.” 

Learn to Love as Jesus Loved

The question is, how do we learn to love as Jesus has loved? Where do we find the desire and the courage to love one another as we have been loved? 

The answer to that question starts with focusing on Jesus. In our culture, you are pressured to declare your allegiance with one side or another. You are either evangelical or progressive, or you are either traditional or liberal. You could likely add others. You are challenged to place your focus on one side or the other. 

Where You Start Matters

Again, the answer to the question starts with focusing on Jesus. Where you start makes all the difference. If you start with the values of either side, you miss the value of loving like Jesus. If you start with Jesus, you begin to love like Jesus. 

T. M. Anderson provides an answer. He writes, “The goal of spending time with Christ in prayer is to have His character become our character.  For our life to be hidden in His life, his nature to become our nature, and His habits our habits.  It is possible to become so intimately acquainted with a practice, a way of doing something that you can do it without thinking.  It becomes second nature, natural.  When we find the secret place of abiding in Christ, our ordinary, daily interactions with people will become much more than mundane.  They will be majestic opportunities to fulfill God’s purpose.  We will become fruitful Christians.  All fruitfulness of this kind flows out of intimacy with Him.” 

To Love Like Jesus Is a Decision

To love like Jesus is not a feeling. It is a decision. You don’t love because you feel like it or because someone agrees with you or because it benefits you.  You love because you are a follower of Jesus and that is what followers of Jesus do. 

As a teenager, our youth group would sing “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus.” The words were this: 

I have decided to follow Jesus.  

I have decided to follow Jesus. 

I have decided to follow Jesus. 

No turning back. No turning back.

Following Jesus

When you are being wooed by God’s grace to follow Jesus and when you have been loved by God through Jesus, you make a conscious decision to follow Jesus. Your decision to follow seals the deal on who you love and how you love them. When you decide to follow Jesus, to love like Jesus, there is no turning back. No turning back. 

It is by loving one another that we show the world that we belong to Jesus. Our courage to love comes from our willingness to engage in a life-changing relationship with Jesus and with the people with whom we interact each day. It goes without saying that the love we are talking about is based upon God’s love for us.  Our love for those around us grows out of the love we experience and know through Jesus Christ.

The good news is Jesus gives us the ability to love each other. The world will know the depth of your relationship with Jesus by the way you love others, especially strangers and enemies. 

May your thoughts, words, and actions, your loving others, bear the mark of true discipleship. Because who you are is how you lead. 

Check out LeaderCast Episode 252 – Words that Matter – Love

Or explore  “Love Shaped Leadership” , “Leading With the Heart of Jesus”,

“Being A Leader Who Loves” or “Leadership and Love.”

Respond

The good news in John’s gospel is “if you have seen Jesus you have seen God.” When Jesus says, “Love one another as I have loved you” he is saying, “Love one another as God loves.” 

We don’t love one another because it is practical or because it works. We love because we are the sons and daughters of God. We love because it is who we are. It is not easy. People who love unconditionally usually wind up on a cross. Remember that crucifixions have a way of being followed by resurrections. The end of love is its beginning. Only those who are foolish enough to lose their lives will find them. It is the grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies that lives. 

Jesus did not tell his followers to love because it would work. It never occurred to him whether it was practical or not. As followers of Jesus, we love because that is who we are. 

Of course, you don’t have to be a follower of Jesus. But if you are, one of the conditions is that you love outsiders, people who are different, whether they be your friends or not, and that you pray for people you consider to be enemies, those who hurt you and take advantage of you. Because it is God’s nature to love, you love who God loves. 

It is by the way you love others that the community and the world know you are a follower of Jesus. The single most important factor of a Christ-centered leader is love. Who you are is how you lead. 

Prayer

O God, show the world your love through me today.

Stir up within me the desire to serve you in trust and obedience;

the desire to not only do good but to be good;

the desire to live peaceably with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, strangers, enemies;

and the desire to surrender this day and every part of my life: family, friends; fears, failures; finances, fantasies; focus and future to your love in Jesus Christ.

Make me aware of the people around me today so that I might be a blessing to someone somewhere today. I offer myself to you in and through the love I know in Jesus. Amen 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. In what situations did you find yourself loving like Jesus? Upon what criteria did you base your decision to put love into action? In what situations did you help others put love into action? What difference did loving like Jesus make in your life and the lives of the people around you today? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to love others as you have been loved.

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Leading with Focus

The task of courageous leadership is focus. Often when we think about being focused, we mean thinking about one specific thing while filtering out everything else. That is one aspect of being focused. But being focused as a leader means that at any given moment you might be thinking of a lot of different things, but you are able to keep your mission central to all other thoughts and actions.

To keep focus, you must be self-aware. You have to know who you are as opposed to trying to please people by being who you think they want you to be. To keep focus, you have to be empathetic and generous in your relationships, and you have to be present with the people you serve. Sounds simple enough, but the challenge is to be yourself and to lead in the way God has gifted you to lead.  

The temptation is to do it your way. After all, you know more than others and can do the work better than others. Although I am being a little snarky, you know what I am referring to. 

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is teaching his followers how to live the way God has created them to live. He is teaching and training his followers to do greater things than he has done. He begins with developing the inner life and moves to developing healthy relationships. When it comes to effective and courageous leadership, focus is necessary to be who God created you to be. 

Use the pattern of Read, Reflect, Respond, Return as a tool to assist you in developing healthy relationships as you become more of the leader God has created you to be. 

Read Matthew 4:1-11 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. 

Reflect

This is a story of focus. Matthew uses the conflict between Jesus and Satan to teach us how Jesus kept his focus as the Son of God. Immediately after Jesus has been claimed by God as “this is my beloved Son,” he is challenged with what it means to be God’s Son. On the surface, it is a story of conflict between good and evil. Below the surface, it is a story of keeping focus. It is a story to assist you in keeping your focus on what is important to your leadership. The very heart of the story reveals who you are is how you lead. 

Keeping focus is not easy and cannot be ignored.  At a basic level, facing the temptation to be someone other than who you have been created to be is an ongoing challenge. Following his baptism, where he was claimed by God, Jesus was faced with the challenge, “If you are the son of God.” The conflict is not whether he was the Son of God, but rather what does it mean to be the Son of God.

Christ-Centered Leadership

Your challenge, as a Christ-centered leader, is to lead as a beloved child of God. You have been claimed by God, so what does it mean to lead as a child of God? What is the focus of a Christ-centered leader? 

The temptations are subtle. They each focus on something that can be good, but without focus on God’s love and grace can be devastating. 

The Challenge of Position

The first challenge is positional. Jesus is challenged to show that he qualifies as the Messiah, the Christ. As God’s son, the anointed one, Jesus is tempted to use his power and position to his own advantage, to alleviate his hunger. At the same time, he is challenged to provide food to meet an obvious human need. To care for himself and to address the human need is good. But to use his position and power to prove he is the anointed one is to deny his trust in and obedience to God and to deny why he is the Son of God. 

Your challenge, as a Christ-centered leader, is not to prove you are worthy of a position. It is to be focused on why you are doing what you are doing. When you are clear about who you are, then you can be clear on how to respond to human needs. It is good to feed hungry people, provide shelter to the homeless, and care for the forgotten.

The question is, why are you feeding, sheltering, and caring? Is that who you are as a beloved Child of God? Are you feeding people because they are hungry or are you responding to a need for relationship and wholeness? Are you doing something to and for people that makes you feel good about yourself? Or, are you loving people because they are the people Jesus loves regardless of the cost? These are some of the differences between a social agency and a church. Please understand that there is nothing wrong with directing a social agency. The question is, is that who God created you to be as a Christ-centered leader? What is your focus?   

The Challenge of Popularity

The second challenge is one of popularity. Jesus is challenged to popularize the good news by drawing attention to himself. The conflict of motivation is subtle. Why not make a sensational demonstration that he is the Son of God? It will bring in more people.  The story illustrates the conflict between the well-intentioned theologies and interpretations of Scripture and the diversions they create on the path of obedience. It deals with the conflict of values revealed in differing images of the Messiah. 

Are you drawing attention to yourself by siding with the majority who want power restored or are you directing attention to God by loving, serving, caring, including, and giving up your place as Jesus has done for you? Are you focused on the good things you can achieve or are you focused on being an instrument of God’s love and peace for the people entrusted to your care? What is your focus? 

The Challenge of Politics

The third challenge is political. Jesus is challenged to politicize the good news by assuming the role of government. The conflict of values is subtle. But Jesus does not deviate from his focus upon the one true God, even for the noble purpose of taking over all the kingdoms of the world.

What does it mean to be God’s beloved child? By whose authority does he make his decisions? The story reveals a conflict of authority.    

Matthew does an excellent job of setting up the conflict. Jesus is taken to a “very high mountain” and offered authority “over all the kingdoms of the world.” This image of the mountain not only ties his listeners to Moses but sets up Jesus being on another mountain at the end of Matthew’s story. It is the mountain where Jesus meets his disciples after the resurrection,  where Jesus announces that he has “received all authority on earth” (Matthew 28:18). His authority is from God and not from Satan. It comes after the cross and is not an alternative to the cross. 

Start with Jesus

Your challenge starts with God’s authority of love when all the people around you are calling you to take a position based on the authority of opinion and influence. Are you evangelical or are you progressive? Are you traditional or have you lost the foundation of your faith? Are you liberal or are you conservative? Are you with us or are you with them? You get the point.

Remember, it matters where you start. If you start on the left or on the right with your opinion, you will fight to influence others to see things the way you see them and to come to your side. If you start with Jesus, in whom all authority has been given and who resisted the temptation to give into the political powers of his day, then there is always a place for transformation and being who God needs you to be in times of conflicting values and challenging decisions. 

Scripture is For Focus

There is one more important fact of this story of focus. Jesus met every challenge with scripture. Here is another subtle temptation. Jesus is not just quoting scripture nor is he “proof-texting” scripture. He is quoting scripture that keeps him focused. In the story, he insists that the word of God must nourish a truly human life. It is that focus that leads him to provide food for hungry people (Matthew 6:11; 14:13-21; 15:32-39; 25:31-46). Jesus also quotes scripture within its context to illustrate that even the well-intentioned theologies and interpretations of Scripture in his own community can become the vehicle of a demonic alternative to the path of living into being the anointed one, the Christ. 

So, who you are is how you lead. As a Christ-centered leader, what is your focus? 

Respond

How you see Jesus shapes how you lead.  How do you see Jesus? Matthew presents Jesus as the Son of God, who will work many miracles during his ministry. Yet this story of focus not only rejects violence and miracles but considers them to be demonic temptations. What does it mean to be the anointed one, the Christed one? 

In Matthew, messiahship is defined not only in traditional pictures of divine power but in terms of Jesus’ own suffering and death. Instead of the power that the “kingdom” had previously meant, Jesus becomes an alternative vision of what the kingdom of God on earth might be. 

This is what was at stake in the temptations Jesus faced and it is what is at stake with your leadership. As a beloved Child of God and a Christ-centered leader, what is your focus? As a follower of Jesus, your focus is to have a trusting relationship with God and a loving relationship (agape) with people. As a Christ-centered leader, you model what God’s love looks like today. 

The temptations will be subtle, but with your eyes focused upon Jesus, God’s kingdom of love and grace comes here on earth as it is in heaven. Who you are is how you lead. 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. What temptations or challenges did you face today? Did you make decisions based on popularity or humility? In what situations did you feel you were leading with a focus on love and grace? How did you assist others in moving forward in becoming more who God created them to be? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to love others as you have been loved.

Prayer

O God, I give you thanks for the assurance that you are shaping me more into the person you created me to be. Help me be more aware of my relationships and of the people you want me to love. By your grace, give me the courage and grace to lead others into and through the difficult moments of loving others as you have loved me. As one of your beloved children, help me be a leader of focus, relying upon your authority in Jesus. I offer who I am to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Leading with Integrity

Effective leadership is in high demand. People want the strongest, most qualified, most effective people to lead their churches as well as their communities, schools, and country. They are looking for leaders they can trust, as well as leaders of compassion, stability, and hope. They are looking for leaders with a solid foundation of good character and integrity.

Failure of leadership today is not the absence of competence or skills, but simply sustaining credibility and integrity with people. There is a growing need for courageous leaders who can and will face and navigate the challenges of today. 

In the Sermon on Mount, Jesus teaches and trains his followers to do greater things than he has done. He begins with developing the inner life and moves to developing healthy relationships. When it comes to effective and courageous leadership, integrity is experienced in and through relationships. 

Use the pattern of Read, Reflect, Respond, Return as a tool to assist you in developing healthy relationships as you become more of the leader God has created you to be. 

Read Matthew 5:21-37

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment, and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council, and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So, when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift… 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart… 

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you: Do not swear at all…Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one. (Selected verses Matthew 5:21-37).

Reflect

According to Matthew, God sent Jesus to teach us how to live a holy and righteous life. For him, a holy and righteous life had more to do with relationships than it did with the avoidance of impure thoughts or actions. It is more than being a nice person who says and does the right things. The holy life or righteous life is lived in relationship with God and with others.

To be holy or righteous is to love others as God in Jesus has loved you. You love with agape, not centered upon emotion or likes and dislikes, but centered in a conscious choice to love as you have been loved. So, being an effective leader means you lead with love. Leading with love is relational. Here is where leading with integrity comes in.  

Integrity

Too often we limit integrity to outward actions or decisions, like acting with integrity. We see it as one of the keys to positive and productive work. Integrity in leaders is usually referred to as being honest, trustworthy, and reliable. Leaders with integrity not only talk the talk but walk the walk. They practice what they preach. They own up to their mistakes, as opposed to hiding them, blaming others, or making excuses.

Now, please don’t misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong or ineffective with acting with integrity. Believe me, I wish there were more of us who did live and act with integrity.  But too often we limit our understanding of integrity to outward actions.

Holiness & Righteousness

Jesus is teaching, in the Sermon on Mount, that holiness and righteousness are deeper than what you do or don’t do. He is teaching that holiness and righteousness are who you are. The holy life or righteous life is lived in relationship with God and with others at the deepest levels of your life.

So, he says (Bias translation), “just because you have not murdered someone does not make you righteous.” Holiness goes to the root of who you are, to your anger, to your name-calling. Your integrity is seen in your relationship, not in what you do or don’t do.

In fact, relationships are so important, “when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift…” And, even deeper than that, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Integrity is experienced in your relationships with others.

It is the same with adultery and divorce. You are not holy or righteous because you are sexually pure or not at fault in a broken relationship. I celebrate with you that you are not an adulterer and that you have not been divorced. But the point to Jesus’ teaching is the integrity of relationships. Being a beloved child of God, you are interacting with others as beloved daughters and sons of God. Your integrity is not seen in what you do or don’t do as much as in who you are in relation to others.

The Depth of Integrity

Integrity is so deep, who you are can be counted upon even in what you say. “Let your word be your truth.” Your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” Your righteousness is your integrity. It shows up in your verbal agreements, but it is who you are in what you say.

So, if you are a person of integrity, it is not in what you do or don’t do. It is in your love and care of the people around you. Leading with integrity means you lead with love and grace.  

Who you are is how you lead.

Respond

Continue to lead with trust, stability, compassion, and hope. The point of leading with integrity is that trust, stability, compassion, and hope is woven into the fabric of who you are more than the characteristics you try to emulate.  

So, continue to be vulnerable and genuine with the people with whom you work. Look for the potential in others and equip them to live into it. Be generous in your assessments, giving the benefit of the doubt. Be courageous in your decision-making, creating a space for trust and collaboration.

Cultivate trust and compassion. Take pride in the work of the people entrusted to you and focus on their well-being. Be grateful for the work of your colleagues and give credit to whomever credit is due.

Lead with Love

Remember, you are leading with agape. Who you are is how you lead, so lead with:  

  1. Vulnerability

Being vulnerable means you nurture a culture where people feel safe and where you, when struggling, find support and care. It takes courage to be vulnerable. Instead of hiding your failures and covering up your weaknesses, own them. Ask for feedback and learn from others. Your authenticity helps build trust and your capacity to care. Your experience of trust creates compassion for and acceptance of those around you. 

Leading with integrity is difficult at times, but it is who you are.   

2. Listening

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Leading with integrity means you build trust by showing your capacity to care. It means you create a culture where people feel safe to speak up and where you are slow to shut people down. 

It takes courage to listen. You know where you are going. You know the path that needs to be taken. And you know what needs to be done to navigate the barriers. Leading with integrity gives people the opportunity to be heard because that is who you are.   

3. Generosity

Being generous means that you make a genuine effort to understand others. Being generous means that you assume that your colleagues have good intentions, and are doing the best they can under the circumstances.

So, listen to what is being said, ask questions for clarity, explore their perspectives. It is easy to judge and blame when things do not work the way you want them to work. So, stay open and curious in conversations. Create an environment where people feel heard, seen, and cared for. 

Leading with integrity means you are loving others as God in Christ has loved you. It is difficult to be generous when you are depending upon others to do quality work, but your practice of generosity will help you lead with integrity.

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. In what situation did you act with holiness? Were your actions part of who you are or part of being nice? In what situations did you feel you were leading with integrity? How did you assist others in moving forward with integrity, of becoming more who God created them to be? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to love others as you have been loved.

Prayer

O God, I give you thanks for the assurance that you are shaping me more into the person you created me to be. Help me be more aware of my relationships and of the people you want me to love. By your grace, give the courage and grace to lead others into and through the difficult moments of loving others as you have loved me. As one of your beloved children, help me be a leader of integrity. I offer who I am to you in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

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Is Being a Christ-Centered Leader Worth Your Life?

Is being a Christ-centered leader worth your life?  You are still feeling the effects of a Covid shutdown, the information, misinformation, and disinformation regarding your denomination, and the general care needed to keep people focused upon God’s love. With the unexpected challenges, chaos, and confusion being a Christ-centered leader, at this time, is taking a toll on many who are seeking to be faithful. 

Some of you have navigated the challenges with courage and grace. Others of you have met unexpected obstacles and are stuck. Still others of you are weary. I get it. On any given day I can experience all three. That is why I am asking the question. 

At your best, you have the opportunity to live within a community of grace-filled Jesus followers. In the midst of grace and care, you are leading and assisting people to become who God created them to be. You are leading by example by the way you live your life, even with all the distractions. But when your leadership is interrupted In the midst of the pressure and tension, there are moments when you ask yourself, “is what I am facing and trying to lead through worth my life?”    

Let me state the obvious, you have to be a follower of Jesus to be a Christ-centered leader.  In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is teaching and training his followers to do greater things than he has done. He begins with the development of the inner life.  

Use the pattern of Read, Reflect, Respond, Return as a tool to assist you in developing your inner life and in becoming the leader God created you to be. 

Read Matthew 5:10-16 

Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

Reflect

What is Jesus saying when he says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness? On the surface it sounds like Jesus is saying, “Go out and get yourselves persecuted because you won’t be real Christians until you do.” But nothing could be farther from the truth. That kind of thinking leads to a martyr complex that is based upon self-pity. It is self-centered and not Christ-centered. 

A totally committed follower of Jesus is difficult to ignore. It is even more difficult to ignore a whole body of totally committed followers of Jesus. They understand life is Jesus. They live life not by a denomination, not by a specific understanding of the scripture, and not by a particular structure, but through Jesus. I feel strange even writing it, but that is who you are. And as you’ve heard me say, “who you are is how you lead.” 

Working for Righteousness

Jesus followers focus on God’s righteousness. They work for righteousness, not just for individuals,  but for the human community, and for all creation. Jesus followers are so involved in God’s business of righteousness they bear God’s image. They begin to look like God-loving people in the community and the world. 

So, to be a Christ-centered leader means you are in a Parent-Child business with God. You have a common purpose, the salvation of the world. With Jesus, righteousness involved a change of heart and healthy human relationships.  Healthy relationships are more than being nice to one another, it is to create people of goodwill. As God’s children, we love one another and the world from the heart, from the inside out. 

Being a Christ-Centered Leader

When Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God on earth, he was not offering to make people more comfortable in their sins, missing the point of God’s love. He was calling them to a new life in love and to citizenship in his beloved community. 

This is where the persecution comes in. There is a cost to being a Christ-centered leader. You have made an all-out commitment to lead God’s people. You are charged to be faithful whatever the cost. So, Jesus says, “Rejoice that you have been counted worthy to do God’s work. You are in a great company of prophets whose glorious past stretches back to the beginning of time and whose future has no end. So go to it. I’m with you.” The question is, “Is being a Christ-centered leader worth your life?” 

Is Being a Christ-Centered Leader Worth Your Life?

In his book, The Sermon on the Mount, E. T. Thompson tells of Dr Turner, the pastor of the American Church in Berlin before World War II. He tells of Dr. Turner visiting Pastor Henrich Niemoeller, the father of Marin Niemoeller who defied Hitler and spent many months in a concentration camp. When the visit was over, Dr. Turner, Reverend Neimoeller, and Mrs. Niemoeller (Grandmother Niemoeller) stood at the door saying their goodbyes. Dr. Turner said, “Grandmother Niemoeller held my left hand in her two hands. The grandfather of Martin’s seven children patted my right hand and then put one hand on my shoulder. ‘When you go back to America, Do not let anyone pity the father and mother of Martin Niemoeller. Only pity any follower of Christ who does not know the joy that is set before those who endure the cross despising the shame.  Yes, it is a terrible thing to have a son in a concentration camp, but Paula (Grandmother Niemoeller) and I know that.  But there would be something more terrible for us, if God had needed a faithful martyr and our Martin had been unwilling.’” 

That is what Jesus is saying. Persecution is a terrible thing, but unfaithfulness is far worse. So, here is the question, Is being a Christ-centered leader worth your life? 

Your Witness

I should stop there, but since I am on a roll… The history of the Christian movement demonstrates that the intensity of persecution is geared, not to the moral level of the non-Christian, or persecutors, but to the intensity of the witness of the Christian community. The early followers of Jesus were not persecuted because the Romans were such bad people. In fact, the Romans were considered to be quite decent. The early followers were persecuted because they lived out their faith in Jesus in life-changing and world-changing ways. 

I sometimes wonder why Christians today get off so easily. Is it because non-Christian Americans are that much better than non-Christian Romans? Or is it that our light is so dim that the world cannot see it? What are the things we do that are worth persecuting? 

What Good is Your Witness?

It is not easy to follow Jesus. In fact, it is impossible to follow Jesus and be afraid to live and love like Jesus. Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything… (Matthew 5:13). The Greek word for “lost its taste” means  “to be foolish” or “to act foolishly.” In other words, “You are the salt of the earth, but if you act foolishly, what good is your witness?” If you are afraid to live and love like Jesus, what good is your witness? 

It is hard to see how anyone could miss the meaning of such pointed words. Yet some people insist on putting a period after “you are the salt of the earth,” and act as if Jesus said nothing else. They turn a warning into a compliment. Jesus did not call us salt to describe us or to point to our saving and savoring abilities. Nonsense. He called us salt for one purpose, to warn us that we can lose our power to make a difference. When this happens, people will no longer bother to persecute you. They will do something even worse, they will ignore you and go on about their business. 

Tension with the World

Whenever tension ceases to exist between the church and the world one of two things has happened. Either the world has been completely converted to Jesus, or the church has watered down and compromised its purpose. In compromising the church loses its influence and is ignored. 

When God’s daughters and sons live in the midst of racial prejudice, poverty, national pride, militarism, gun violence, and exploitation, witnesses to God’s love, there is persecution. The faith of the followers of Jesus is so real and so present that the world, the city, the community, find it difficult to ignore. 

Christian Community is Christ’s Light

In fact, Jesus says it can’t be done. “It is impossible to hide a city that is situated on a hill.” When God created the Christian community, God never had any intention of locating it in the sheltered cave. It was placed on an open hilltop where it might be an eternal witness to the way people should live their lives. “People don’t light a lamp and put it under a bushel basket, but upon the lampstand, and it shines on all those that are in the house” (Matthew 5:15). 

The point here is not that you shouldn’t hide your light. It is deeper than that. The point is, no one ever lights a lamp and then hides it. Neither does God. The Christian community is God’s light which he lit up with the glory of his own Son, and he has no intention of hiding it. When you come into the fellowship of the church, you become part of that light. While you can determine the intensity of the light, you cannot escape the fact that you are part of the witness, for better or for worse.  It is not a matter of whether or not you will shine, but how brightly you will shine.  Jesus says to let your “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). 

You are the Light of the World…

You are the light of the world. For what purpose? Are you the light so people experience your wonderful worship, hear your great sermons, be a part of your Sunday School class, see your beautiful sanctuary, hear your choir, see your financial report, or read your mission statement? No. You are the light of the world so people might see your good works and give glory to God. Jesus placed us, as the church, under the eternal obligation to live God’s message, whatever the cost. 

Of course, you must preach the good news of Jesus, but at the same time, you must realize that the power of the spoken word lies in the demonstration of it. It is an expression of an experience in which the whole church participates. The preacher alone cannot bear witness to the message on behalf of the congregation. That would be vicarious spirituality. The whole congregation bears the testimony. Jesus is the light of the world; the church reflects that light as a city located on a hill. By the way in which you live your life, God’s love, the good news of Jesus, is made known to the world. That means every member of the body is a part of the witness, either strengthening it or weakening it. 

Since you can’t escape shining and you cannot be hidden, your leadership should be credited to Jesus. Your leadership does not depend upon persecution or praise. Your leadership depends upon your trust in Jesus. Are people able to see the image of God clearly in you? The world has no way of seeing God except through the image of Jesus formed in your heart. So, what is following Jesus worth your leadership?   

Respond

Is being a Christ-centered leader worth your life? To be centered upon Jesus is to live your life like Jesus. To live your life like Jesus means you will face adversity and persecution. But remember this, “Blessed are you when you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” Remember, who you are is how you lead.

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. When during the day did you ask yourself “is this worth my life?” When during the day did you recognize you were the light shining in the situation or circumstance? How did you assist others in moving forward with their commitment to Jesus? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to love others as you have been loved.

Prayer

Blessed are you, O God, creator of the universe and giver of good gifts to your children. I am grateful for the assurance that you are with me when I face opposition and persecution. By your grace, give the courage and grace to lead others into and through the difficult moments of loving others as you have loved me. As one of your beloved children, help me become more the leader you need at this point and time in history. I offer who I am to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.