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Leadership and Power

Leadership and power go together. As a leader, you have the power to influence people. As you live into the responsibility of discovering and developing the potential of people, you learn how to use your power appropriately. You learn to influence people, not by controlling or micromanaging, but by giving your power and influence away.  To be an effective and courageous leader, you learn to use your power to empower others. 

Most people think of power as the control that high-level leaders exert from their positions. But power extends beyond the formal authority that comes from a title or a position. Before looking at the power you have as a Christ-centered leader, let’s name seven bases of power that often are used and misused in leadership. 

7 Bases of Power

The power of position. This is the power of formal authority that derives from a person’s title or position in a group.

The power of expertise. This is the power of influence that comes from developing and communicating specialized knowledge, or the perception of knowledge.

The power of charisma. This is the power of influence that is generated by a leader’s style or personality.

The power of relationships. This is the power of influence that leaders gain through their formal and informal networks both inside and outside of the church or organization.

The power of information. This is the power of control that is generated through the use of evidence either used or withheld.

The power to reward others. This is the power to reward and recognize individuals for adhering to standards or expectations.

The power of punishment. This is the power to sanction individuals for failure to conform to standards or expectations. 

As a Christ-centered leader, you have another base of power. You have a power that comes from a higher source. Effective leaders draw their strength from an inner source of values, character, and faith. Let’s use our practice of “Read, Reflect, Respond, and Return” to explore that base of power. 

Read Acts 1:6-8 

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

Reflect

This scripture reflects two different understandings of power. The early followers of Jesus had political power in mind. They had grown up learning about the Messiah being a military and political leader. In their hearts and minds, Jesus was the Messiah. He was the anointed one of God who would restore Israel to power, a political and military power. For them, the Messiah was going to drive out and destroy the Romans and restore power to Israel. 

Their question shows that they have missed the point of Jesus returning in the power of the Spirit. Jesus’ teaching had become twisted in their understanding and ideas of the kingdom. They had missed what Jesus was teaching and were wanting Jesus to meet their agenda. 

Missing Power

I can imagine them saying, “Jesus, we appreciate all you have done on the cross and in the resurrection, and what you are saying about the kingdom and power is fine, but is it going to move toward our agenda? We became your followers because we thought you were to restore Israel to power.  Now, we aren’t pressuring you, we are just reluctant to ask, “Are you going to do it or not?” 

With their assumption that the Messiah would drive out and destroy the Romans, Jesus replied that only God knows the time of the coming of the kingdom.  Instead of answering their misunderstandings, those early followers were given a job to do. 

Holy Spirit Power

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…” 

Jesus is saying, you will receive power, but it is not the power you think it is. You shall receive power, but not political or military power. You will receive power from God when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. 

The church’s mission is not carried out in its own strength. The church is not merely a group of good people trying hard to make the world a better place. The church functions by the presence and power of God. This is a unique kind of power rooted in communication, service, compassion, and a deep sense of purpose. To lead from this kind of power involves empowering others. It involves sharing your influence beyond yourself to bring about transformation in your church, your community, and in the world. 

The presence and power of God is the power of Christ-centered leaders. So, what does that mean for you? 

You will receive power: 

To Communicate:

 “…you will be my witnesses…” To be a witness means several things. One, a witness is a person who says I know this is true. Two, a witness is a person who lives the truth. Three, a witness is a martyr, not in the sense of dying for what you know is true, but living for what you know is true. To be a witness means to be loyal no matter the cost. “You will be my witnesses” means you will be loyal to Jesus, regardless of the cost, in what you say and do. 

To be a witness is enough, but there is more to the power of communication. There is an example of the power in the second chapter of Acts. “Now there were devout Jews from every people under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.

Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”

This story is an example of the power of communication. When you look at the story closely, it says once that “They…began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enable them to speak.” It says three times people heard in their own languages.

The early followers of Jesus were given the power to communicate in ways people could understand. This is a power given by God and practiced by followers of Jesus. As a Christ-centered leader, you are assisting followers of Jesus to communicate in the language of the people in the neighborhood and community. 

To organize and strategize

“in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This scripture is the introduction to the story of the Acts of the Apostles being commissioned to reorient their lives from looking up and expecting Jesus to return to looking out into the world and their mission in it. 

The story in Acts is about communicating and sharing God’s love starting in Jerusalem, where they are at the moment, moving to Judea, which would represent home for most of them, moving to Samaria, which represents an area of hundreds of years of prejudice, and then moving to the ends of the earth, which includes their enemies in Rome. 

The deeper meaning here is that Luke presents the church as a community that, though it began as a Jewish sect, will become a universal inclusive community transcending languages and cultures. 

The early followers of Jesus were given the power to start right where they were and to move out in taking God’s love to all the world. This organized effort did not happen all at once. In fact, you, as a Christ-centered leader, are a part of the movement at this very moment. You are leading people in becoming witnesses, first at home, then with friends, colleagues, and neighbors, then with people who are marginalized, outcasts, and looked down upon, and then to all the world which includes your enemies. 

As a Christ-centered leader, you have the power to replicate, at home, what you have been leading people to do in other communities and cultures. You have the power to teach people to welcome others as God in Christ has welcomed them and to love others as they have been loved. I know it seems strange to say you have the power to organize and strategize such love in action, but if you don’t plan it, it will never happen. When you aim at nothing, you usually hit it. You have the power to organize and strategize God’s power starting right where you are. 

To embrace diversity: 

“in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Luke knows that the church is destined to become a universal community. In the second chapter of Acts, the list of nations is symbolic of the whole world. His list transcends the Roman Empire and includes the Parthians who have been a constant enemy threat. Jews and Arabs are both embraced in the vision of the universal church. Luke includes those born into Jewish families and those who have been converted to Judaism from Gentile religions. Ethnic and racial diversity is represented from the very beginning. There are even visitors from Rome. Luke concludes his story with the arrival of Paul in Rome. But there were people from Rome present at the beginning of the church. 

As a Christ-centered leader, you have the power to appreciate and value different perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds. You also have the power to lead others in that same appreciation. 

You will receive power…Who you are is how you lead. 

Respond

As a Christ-centered leader, you have a base of power that comes from outside yourself. Your power is not based upon position, although you can leverage your position to give your power away; expertise, although as you learn and gain knowledge you have more to offer; charisma, which comes more from character as it does from personality; information, which means you have the opportunity to share what you know and are learning; reward or punishment. 

Your power comes from a higher source. And as a Christ-centered leader, you draw your strength from that source that forms your values, character, and faith. You draw your strength from God who you know in and through Jesus. 

Although the early followers of Jesus missed the point of power, you have the opportunity to assist people beyond such misunderstandings. You have received the power to communicate in ways people will understand, to organize and strategize so the world will know of God’s love, and to embrace diversity. So, be who God has created you to be, not by the power of position but by the power of God. 

Who you are is how you lead. 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. Where did you exert your power? Did you use your position to leverage power? How did you interact with others? What did you learn about yourself? Who is helping you remember that you are a child of God and that you have been empowered to love others as God has loved you? What will you do differently tomorrow? Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be.  

Prayer

O God, today I give you thanks for life and work. I pray for the power to be your witness starting where I am now. Remind me throughout the day of how you love me and how you have empowered me to love the people around me. I offer myself to you in the name of Jesus.  Amen

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Leadership and Conflict

How do you lead through conflict? Do you work primarily to manage it, resolve it, transform it, or avoid it? Part of being a courageous and effective leader is being able to confront conflict and to lead people through it. Leading through conflict is one place that reveals who you are is how you lead. 

Conflict is an inevitable part of life. It occurs naturally on a daily basis in one form or another. There will always be differences of opinion and disagreements. It is a part of the human experience. It influences your actions, your decisions, and your relationships. Although it is often viewed as being negative, conflict can be an opportunity for positive learning and growth. 

Leading Through Conflict

As a leader, you already know that conflict can be a result of attitude, race, gender, looks, education, opinions, feelings, religion, and culture. It can grow out of differences in values, affiliations, roles, positions, and status. And even though you might attempt to find the cause of any particular conflict, the reality of most conflict is complex and is made up of a mixture of sources from emotions to values. 

So, how do you lead through conflict? Matthew, in his good news, gives us direction regarding conflict. Let’s use our practice of “Read, Reflect, Respond, and Return” as a pattern for confronting conflict while caring for relationships. 

Read Matthew 18:15-20 

15 “If your brother or sister sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If that person refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” 

Reflect 

There are several stories of conflict in the New Testament. A quick read reveals that Jesus was not frightened by it and even invited people into it. One day he asked his disciples, “What were you arguing about along the way?” He knew his question would lead to a messy discussion about who was the greatest. He asked people why they called him “Lord” without doing what he said, and he called religious leaders “white-washed tombs” knowing that things would get messy. 

There was a conflict in the church after Jesus ascended. Hebrew-speaking Christians got tangled up with Greek-speaking Christians about whose poor were getting cared for. Paul went after Peter for giving in to the legalists. The list goes on. 

Relationships and Conflict

John Ortberg, in his book Everybody’s Normal Till You Get To Know Them, writes, “People who love authentic community always prefer the pain of temporary chaos and conflict to the peace of permanent superficiality.” 

Relationships were important to Jesus and to the early church. So, Matthew tells of Jesus teaching how to live a righteous and holy life. For Matthew, the righteous and holy life is lived out in relationships.

So, the righteous and holy life is seen in how you restore and maintain relationships in the midst of conflict. Dealing with conflict always involves a series of choices. To assist us to live in relationship as God’s children, Jesus gives a set of instructions about what to do in case of relational breakdowns. 

How to Navigate Conflict? 

So, when there is conflict: 

Acknowledge it. 

To be alive means to be in conflict. When there is conflict, you have two choices. You either pretend that conflict does not exist and become conflict-avoidant, or you honestly admit there is a challenge, a broken relationship. Matthew is talking directly to Jesus’ followers when he writes, “If your brother or sister sins against you, go…” 

When there is conflict, there has been a breakdown of some kind. Usually, the breakdown is more complex than what appears on the surface. There will be no transformation without a serious commitment to face the breakdown. Acknowledge the conflict. 

Take responsibility for your part in it. 

As a Christ-centered leader, take the responsibility to set things right. Regardless of the cause of the conflict, take the first step toward restoring your relationship. We don’t naturally want to do this. We have thoughts like, “it is not fair that I should have to be the one to take the first step.”

Here is where who you are comes into play. Instead of blaming others and avoiding responsibility, be who God created you to be, take responsibility for your part, and move forward toward reconciliation. 

Take action to confront it. 

Don’t let resentment grow. Often, when you have been wronged, it feels better to be angry and to play the victim. You have been wronged and someone should do something about it. You are correct. It is you who takes the initiative. 

Go and make it right with your neighbor, friend, or colleague. It will not be easy. You will not do it perfectly. Just remember this, avoidance kills community. Here is where your self-awareness is important. 

Approach the people involved with generosity. 

You truly do not know what is going on in the heart and mind of another person. So, be generous in your assumptions and projections. Here is where love comes into play. As a Christ-centered leader, you are always leading with the best interest of others in mind. You are always working for their good as well as the good of the church or your organization. Remember, you are in the people business. Love others as God in Christ has loved you. Be generous in your assumptions and projections. 

Approach others with the same care and sensitivity that you would want to be approached. 

Deal with it privately. Include only those with whom there is conflict. As Jesus has instructed through Matthew, “go…when the two of you are alone. If you are listened to, you have regained that one.” Be aware not to embarrass others by approaching them in front of an audience. Approach the other person in the way you would want to be approached. 

Just a bit of advice on this point. If you are angry, deal with your anger first. It is not healthy to confront conflict with anger. This is not a time to ventilate. It might make you feel better, but it will do nothing about transforming the conflict. Your ventilation shows that you have not taken the other person seriously. So, be clear about your motives, deal with your anger, and approach others the way you want to be approached. 

Be clear in your communication. 

Brene Brown reminds us that Clear is kind. I read recently of a pastor who taught his staff the “Last 10% Rule.” Often, after going through all the challenging work of setting up a difficult conversation, he found people would stop and not discuss the hardest but most important truth. They would fail to say the last 10%. 

So, what happened? They were vague and fuzzy just at the time clarity was most needed. For example, Instead of saying, “You talked too much at the meeting,” people would speak vaguely of not feeling connected to the other person and hope they will fill in the blanks. Here is the reality of that situation or lack of clarity. You are not speaking out of love for the other person. You just don’t want to go through the pain and fear involved in a deeper conflict. Remember, “Clear is kind.” 

Describe clearly what you have observed. 

Explain how you perceived it. Tell me what the consequences have been.  Ask for the change you want.  And then ask, “How can we move forward toward our goal of being in relationship with each other.” 

Aim for reconciliation. 

“If you are listened to, you have regained that one.” The goal of conflict transformation is not to win but to restore broken relationships. Reconciliation is rarely simple and never quick. Again, this is where who you are is how you will lead. Reconciliation takes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It takes loving your neighbor as you have been loved. It takes doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. You get the point.   

Remember you are not alone. 

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” You often hear these words regarding worship. But Matthew did not use the words in relationship to worship. He used them in relationship to conflict.  Remember, when you are confronting conflict, God is with you. You are not alone. When you are confronting conflict, you are being who God created you to be. You are not asked to live a righteous and holy life on your own. God is with you as you build and maintain healthy relationships. It is who you are as a Christ-centered leader. 

Respond

From my perspective, this scripture has often been used more as a weapon than as a tool. It has been used to gain control rather than restoration. It is part of our broken human nature to experience conflict. Whether it be differences of opinions, different world views, or a clash of values, we human beings will always be at odds in one form or another. 

God sent Jesus to teach us how to live before God. I understand that means “be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect.” In other words, to be whole, righteous, and holy. From Matthew’s perspective, as well as the other gospel writers, righteous and holy living is lived out in relationship with other human beings. We love one another as God in Christ has loved us. 

It Starts with Me

The first place I have to start in confronting conflict is with myself. When I am at peace with God, I am at peace with myself, and at peace with others. When I get angry, I first ask myself “Why am I angry?” Even my best self wants to blame others for my misunderstandings. I first must deal with my own hurt, frustration, and fear before I can honestly confront any relational conflict in a healthy way. 

When I finally came to my senses, I asked myself “What do I want?” Too often when people get to a certain level of anger, their only focus is to win the argument or to inflict pain or to get even. They forget about righteous and holy living. They forget, if only for a moment, that righteous and holy living is to be in healthy, loving relationships with the people around them, especially the people they want to hurt or “tell where to go.” I know. I speak from experience. 

Conflict at the Extreme

Just for the fun of it. I want to share with you some information that carries anger and conflict avoidance to the extreme. It illustrates that the problem of conflict usually begins within us. 

There are over 33,000 denominations of Christianity in the world. Every one of them was a split. Almost all of them were born out of anger, hostility, and withdrawal between people who claimed to follow the teachings of Jesus. This is the same Jesus who prayed to his Father that all his followers might “be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me.” 

A man was lost at sea. He found his way to a desert island where he lived for fifteen years. One day, a ship came by, he was found, and was rescued from the island. Before leaving, he gave his rescuers a little tour of the buildings he had constructed over the years. It was a one-man town, but it served his purposes for survival. Pointing in one direction he said, “That is my house.” Then he pointed in another direction and said, “That is my store. I store coconuts, berries, and roots in there.” Then he pointed to the building next to it and said, “That is my cabana. I rest there. I have even taken a few vacations there.” Then he pointed to the next building and said, “And that is where I go to church.”   

The rescuers were amazed. One of them noticed another building next to the church and asked, “What is that building next to it?” 

The man replied, “Oh, that is where I used to go to church.”

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. 

  • Where did you experience conflict? 
  • How did you respond? 
  • How did you interact with others? 
  • What did you learn about yourself? 
  • Who is helping you remember that you are a child of God and that you are not alone when you confront conflict? 
  • What will you do differently tomorrow? 
  • Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be.  

Prayer

May this prayer of Jesus become reality in and through you and the people entrusted to your care. 

“I ask not only on behalf of these but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” So let it be!

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Leadership and Holy Communion

Each of us has our own sense of what makes a good leader. Our understanding of leadership is informed mostly by what we have seen or experienced. So, there are many ways to define, think about, and approach leadership. 

Some say a leader is one who influences and advances change for a more equitable world. Others say that a leader is anyone who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential (Brené Brown). Regardless of your definition, your belief about leadership informs what you think about and practice as a leader. Who you are is how you lead. 

Loving Others

Mother Teresa said, “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked, and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’” 

As a Christ-centered leader, regardless of your understanding, at the end of life you will not be judged by the positions you have held or how high you made it in the hierarchy of the church or organization. You will be judged by the love you have expressed, the relationships you have developed, and the community you have nourished. 

Luke, in his good news, gives us a hint of what leading looks like in the community. Let us use our practice of “Read, Reflect, Respond, and Return” as a pattern for examining leadership in the community. This is a story of the Lord’s Supper and feeding 5000 people.     

Read Luke 9:12-17 

12 When the day was almost over, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place.” 13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” But they said, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 (They said this because about five thousand men were present.) Jesus said to his disciples, “Seat them in groups of about fifty.” 15 They did so, and everyone was seated. 16 He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 Everyone ate until they were full, and the disciples filled twelve baskets with the leftovers. 

Reflect 

In the early Church, there was no distinction between the fellowship meal, called the Love feast, and the Lord’s supper. In fact, there was a time when the Lord’s supper was called the Love Feast.  People came and shared their food with the church.  At that time, you couldn’t tell who brought food and who didn’t because all the people gave and ate together. The Love Feast and Lord’s Supper were one and the same. So, from the beginning, eating together and Holy Communion had the same respect. 

In this story, when the people are hungry, Jesus takes bread and fish, blesses them, breaks them, and gives them.  These are the main acts of Holy Communion. Jesus put prayer and action together. 

The crowd has been with Jesus all day.  It is now late, and the people are hungry. The disciples have a humanitarian concern for the hungry and the homeless. They want to do what is humanly possible to assist the people. So, they suggest it is better to dismiss the crowd. “Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food…” 

Abundance or Scarcity? 

They are well-intentioned in their care for the people. When they see people tired and hungry, they are concerned. It is out of their concern that they ask Jesus to send the people home.  But Jesus sees the situation differently. He responds, “You give them something to eat.”  

The disciples reply out of scarcity, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.” They said this because about five thousand men were present and they are thinking of what they don’t have. 

Jesus responds out of what they do have. He instructs them to seat the people in groups of fifty. When the people are seated, Jesus takes the five loaves of bread and the two fish, looks up to heaven, blesses them, breaks them, and gives them to the disciples to serve to the crowd. 

“You give them something to eat.” 

As Jesus takes, blesses, breaks, and gives, he includes the disciples in the giving. As he prays, he includes his followers in the action. Throughout The Acts of the Apostles, God’s concern for the hungry is implemented by the acts of the followers of Jesus. 

The number “five thousand” shows how great the miracle is. The term “men” represents a picture in which only adult males would leave home without provisions for an extended time in order to hear Jesus.  In Matthew, the words “besides women and children,” states it in an exclusive sense in order to enhance the miracle. 

“In groups of fifty” reflects the organization of Israel during the exodus and wilderness period, the “wandering people of God” on their way to the promised land. Luke portrays the life of both Jesus and the church as a journey and refers to the saving work of Jesus as “exodus.” 

A Lord’s Supper Story

The words “took”, “blessed”, “broke”, and “gave” reflect the liturgical formula used in holy communion. They reflect the language of the liturgy of the Lord’s Table.  The feeding of the 5000 is told as a Lord’s Supper story.                                     

Jesus took and blessed the loaves and fish.  Early in the Christian movement, fish became the symbol of the Christian faith. Fish says who we are and what we believe.  Bread became the symbol of the body of Jesus. So, Jesus takes, blesses, breaks, and gives, he includes the disciples in the giving. Jesus put prayer and action together.                       

The feeding of the 5000 is a Lord’s Supper story.  The prophet Isaiah wrote, “True expression of one’s love for God is the sharing of one’s bread with the poor.”

Feeding is a Sacred Act

Could it be that feeding the hungry in the sight of God is as sacred as Holy Communion?  

Is there a connection between the Lord’s Supper and our engagement in the community? Is there a sacredness in loving, feeding, clothing, and housing people? 

For Luke, the church’s mission of feeding the hungry is a continuation of Jesus’ ministry and an anticipation of the kingdom of God for which we pray, “…Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” 

Putting prayer and action together is a hint of what it means to be a leader in the community, whether it be the church or geographic location. When you pray and respond in acts of love, you are being who you were created to be. Who you are is how you lead. 

Respond

I find it interesting that the feeding of the 5000 in Luke’s gospel is told as a Lord’s Supper story. Luke is making a connection between Holy Communion and engagement in the community. Just as taking the bread and cup is done in remembrance of Jesus, your ministry in the community is done in remembrance of Jesus. Your ministry in the community is just as sacred as taking the bread and cup. 

Holy Communion represents the greatest expression of God’s love for God’s people. Your leadership in the community is an expression of that same love. 

Community Engagement as Sacred Work

Most people, including church people, do not see community engagement as sacred work. Why? Because their understanding of leadership is informed mostly by what they have seen or experienced. Most people have not experienced engagement in the community as an expression of God’s love. 

Community engagement is seen as active participation in the community and as being invested in what happens in the community. It includes direct service, community organizing, and social responsibility. Too often these actions of engagement are not seen as expressions of God’s love. 

As a Christ-centered leader, you have the opportunity to lead out of the core of who you are, a child of God, loved by God, and sent out to love others as God has loved you. Within the church community, God’s love is expressed in and through the sacrament of Holy Communion. In the larger community, God’s love is expressed in and through acts of love, care, and compassion. Just the bread and fish were woven into the feeding the 5000, God’s expression of love is woven into the fabric of service, organizing, and responsibility through you. 

True Community 

People are important to God and people make up communities. It is in community that people experience love and belonging. It is in participating in a community that attitudes, values, and goals are established to enjoy and fulfilling life. 

A true community does not treat people differently because of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or background. People are cared for and belong because the expression of God’s love is as sacred in the community as Holy Communion. 

What could happen if you held loving your neighbor and caring for your community as sacred as receiving the body and blood of Jesus?  Who you are is how you lead. 

Return 

Give God thanks for the people you met today. Where did you experience God’s love? With whom did you share God’s love? How did you experience the sacredness of Holy Communion? How did you interact with others? Did you hold them in the sacredness of God’s love? Who is helping you grow as a leader? What will you do differently tomorrow? Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be.

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Leadership and Character – Part 3

Who you are is how you lead is a statement of character. Notice it says, “who you are,” not what you do is how you lead or what you know is how you lead, but who you are is how you lead.

As a Christ-centered leader, your behavior reflects your character. It is in direct response to God’s love as experienced in and through Jesus.  It is not a result of your working harder or learning more, although both values are good for leaders. It is a result of who you are as a human being in relationship to God and to the people around you, family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, strangers, and even enemies. Who you are is seen in the fruit you produce, which is your character as a person and as a leader.

Let us again use our practice of “Read, Reflect, Respond, and Return” as a pattern for examining another aspect of character in the scripture.  This parable will be helpful in understanding “who you are is how you lead.”   

Read Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflect

This parable uses judgment as a tool to instruct what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a “daughter or son” of God. It is the last formal teaching that Jesus gives in Matthew’s gospel. It is based upon the need for righteousness and the works of mercy, especially toward the weak and marginalized, that grow out of that righteousness.

With that in mind, there are several layers to understanding this parable. The first is the good news according to Matthew. “God sent Jesus to teach us how to live before God.” For Matthew, righteousness and holiness are characteristics of children of God. 

Although Matthew says it differently from John, it is the same perspective of “being born from above.” Holiness and righteousness are seen in our relationships with God and with others.  So, for Matthew, you are a child of God and God sent Jesus to teach you how to live as a child of God. Hang on to that because this parable reveals the depth of holiness and righteousness of being God’s son and daughter.

Reflection of Reality

The second layer is a parable. Parables are reflections of reality as opposed to mirrors of morality. Said another way, this parable does not tell us what we should be doing. It reflects back to us what we are doing.

I have often heard this scripture quoted to leverage people to care for others, to raise money, or, at its worst, to shame people into acts of care and compassion. This parable is not a moral teaching. 

All the acts of care and compassion are good and needed, but the point of the parable is not “you should be doing these things.” The parable actually reflects back what you are doing. It reflects reality. When you are doing acts of care and compassion for anyone, but especially for “the least of these” you are showing care and compassion to Jesus.

Who You Are as a Jesus Follower

Caring for “the least of these” is who you are as a follower of Jesus, a human being bearing the image of one of God’s children. Caring for “the least of these” is who you are as a child of God. It is not a calculated action of doing what you should be doing.

The difference is subtle but significant. You are caring for others because that is who you are, or you are caring for others out of calculated action to do good. Do you see the difference?

Judgment 

That brings us to the third layer of the parable, judgment. In light of becoming who God created you to be and in the light of the reality of your living as one of God’s children, your actions reveal who you are.  Judgment is experienced in the reflection of reality. It simply brings out what is already present.

Notice the criterion of judgment is not a confession of faith in Jesus. Nothing is said of grace, justification, or forgiveness of sins. What counts is whether or not you have acted with loving care for people around you, especially those in great need.  Your care and compassion are not acts of “extra credit” but are the basis of who you are as a follower of Jesus, a child of God, and a person of loving others as God in Christ has loved you.

Responding to Jesus 

Let’s look at this in another way. In the parable, when people respond, they are responding to Jesus. Yet both groups are surprised. Those who provided food, drink, clothing, shelter, and visited the sick and imprisoned respond entirely on who they are. It is no big deal. It is part of their living in relationship to God and to others. They are surprised to learn that there was a deeper dimension to their acts of human compassion. Without knowing it, they are responding to Jesus.

Those who plan and direct their response of providing food, drink, clothing, shelter, and visiting the sick and imprisoned have worked intentionally to respond to human needs. They have done good work. They are surprised to learn that their good work has not brought them the results they were planning to receive. Their acts of care and compassion are calculated. Even though they have worked to respond to human need, they have missed the point of God’s love thus missing the deeper dimensions of what it means to be a child of God. Because of their focus on themselves, they have missed Jesus.

What’s the Difference?

Both groups respond to human need. Both respond out of who they are. The difference is, one group responds out of being children of God, living in holiness and righteousness in relationship to others. The other group responds to their need to care for others. Their need grows out of satisfying themselves as opposed to satisfying God. Because it feels good to help others it must be what God wants them to do.

Both groups are surprised. One group is living life as they have been created to live, in relationship with others whether they need help or not. The other group is living a life of self-satisfaction and does not understand that their hard work and care for others is a sign of their disconnectedness with others.

And there is the judgment, the reflection of reality, of the parable. So, to be clear, it is not the doing of good things that brings holiness or righteousness to a person. It is the very nature of the person that reflects God’s holiness and righteousness.

It is a tough parable.  It reveals who you are and why you lead the way you do. It is a parable of character.

Respond

It is interesting to note that this is a parable of sheep and goats and not sheep and wolves. Jesus is not choosing between the obviously bad and the obviously good. There is no division here between the opponents of the gospel and the believers in it. The judgment is distinguishing among all who profess to be followers of Jesus and who claim to be members of the family of God. The painful part of this parable is the revelation of the true nature of those who profess to be followers of Jesus.

For Matthew, the ultimate mark of an authentic follower of Jesus is not a creed, biblical knowledge, or adherence to the rules. The mark of an authentic follower of Jesus is seen and revealed in the nature of the person who responds out of love to human need. The practical demonstration of love is the ultimate proof.

Jesus Surprises Us

Notice that Jesus does not ask anyone to present his or her case or to argue their cause. He does not ask any questions or request any evidence. He simply extends an invitation, “‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom…” Then he explains the basis of his choice. He simply says that when they had the opportunity to help, they did. Nothing more is required. Then surprise! Jesus identifies himself with those being helped. “If you help them, you are really helping me,” he says.

They have been responding to the needs of those around them. They keep no records; they expect no praise. They find joy in being children of God. They are unaware they are doing anything unusual.   

The Big Suprise

The major surprise comes when Jesus says to those who have missed the point, “if you ignore them, you are ignoring me.” These people know that God is interested in the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed, and they are all ready for God. They have already made long mental lists of the times they have ministered to those in need. They can recall detailed descriptions of what has been done and the sums of money given. They have put in long hours doing the good work they have decided needs to be done. To these self-justifying persons Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 

They are even more surprised than the sheep. They are depending upon their good deeds for acceptance. Their response is so calculated that they ask, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?” They are honest when they ask in astonishment, “Lord, when did we see you…and not…?”

Your character is revealed in the light of God’s love. God’s judgment comes when you least expect it. It comes when you are unaware and off guard. It is then that you truly reveal yourself. The test comes, not in your remembered actions, but in your unconscious reactions, instinctive, and unplanned responses. Who you are is how you lead. 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. 

  • In what situations did you feel you were making decisions based on character? 
  • What did you do that came naturally? 
  • What did you do that felt calculated and unnatural? 
  • How did you respond? 
  • How did you assist others in developing the character of their lives? 
  • Who is helping you grow in character? 
  • What will you do differently tomorrow as a leader? 

Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be.  

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Leadership and Character – Part 2 

Character is essential in leadership. It shapes how you engage the people around you, who and what you notice, what you reinforce, who you engage in conversation with, what you value, and what you choose to act upon, just to list a few responses and actions.

Even though there is no consensus on a definition of character, there are personality traits, values, and virtues that reflect the character of every leader. 

As we continue our exploration of Leadership and Character, let us again use our practice of “Read, Reflect, Respond, and Return” as a pattern for examining another aspect of character in the scripture.  This scripture comes from the Sermon on the Mount.

Although it is beneficial to read the whole account, our focus will be on the italicized words of the text.

Read Matthew 5:21-48 

21 “You have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago, Don’t commit murder and all who commit murder will be in danger of judgment. 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell. 23 Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift. 25 Be sure to make friends quickly with your opponents while you are with them on the way to court. Otherwise, they will haul you before the judge, the judge will turn you over to the officer of the court, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 I say to you in all seriousness that you won’t get out of there until you’ve paid the very last penny.

27 “You have heard that it was said, Don’t commit adultery. 28 But I say to you that every man who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. 29 And if your right eye causes you to fall into sin, tear it out and throw it away. It’s better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to fall into sin, chop it off and throw it away. It’s better that you lose a part of your body than that your whole body go into hell.

31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a divorce certificate.’[c] 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife except for sexual unfaithfulness forces her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those who lived long ago: Don’t make a false solemn pledge, but you should follow through on what you have pledged to the Lord. 34 But I say to you that you must not pledge at all. You must not pledge by heaven, because it’s God’s throne. 35 You must not pledge by the earth, because it’s God’s footstool. You must not pledge by Jerusalem, because it’s the city of the great king. 36 And you must not pledge by your head, because you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Let your yes mean yes, and your no mean no. Anything more than this comes from the evil one.

38 “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. 39 But I say to you that you must not oppose those who want to hurt you. If people slap you on your right cheek, you must turn the left cheek to them as well. 40 When they wish to haul you to court and take your shirt, let them have your coat too. 41 When they force you to go one mile, go with them two. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t refuse those who wish to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete.

Reflect

Matthew’s focus is upon Jesus teaching his followers how to live life before God.  He focuses on living a holy life, which for Matthew means, living in a healthy relationship with God and with your neighbor. From the Sermon on the Mount to the Great Commission, Jesus is teaching his followers to be holy and how to live with God and each other.

He essentially lays out the traits, values, and virtues that reflect the character of every leader. 

Christ-Centered Character Traits

Traits are patterns of thought, behavior, and emotion that are experienced as consistent actions in your life. They are learned responses that reflect your inner life, thus your inner life as a leader. There are hundreds of personality traits from A (ambition) to Z (zealousness) that have been described in and through research.  Some traits can be inherited. But most traits evolve through life experiences and intentional exercises and practice. 

Here are several traits from Matthew’s perspective. These are traits of Jesus followers, thus traits of Christ-centered leaders. This is an example and not meant to be exhaustive. 

Healthy Relationships

Living in a healthy relationship with family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues: “…if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift at the altar and go. First make things right with your brother or sister and then come back and offer your gift” (Verses 23-24).  

For Matthew, your relationship with the people you encounter each day is as important or more important than worship.

Living in a healthy relationship with your enemies: “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you” (Verses 43-44).

Relationships are so important that you intentionally work on healthy relationships with those individuals who are not your favorite people, with whom you disagree, or who you perceive want to hurt you in some way. Your response of love is not based upon how you are treated by others but by the love you have received through Jesus. You love because of who you are, a follower of Jesus, a Christ-centered leader.

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Living with Integrity

Living with Integrity: “Don’t make a false solemn pledge, but you should follow through on what you have pledged to the Lord” (Verse 33).

In other words, let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no.” As a follower of Jesus, you are as good as your word. If you have to “swear on a stack of bibles” everyone knows you are about to lie to them. Maybe it is better said this way, “Walk your talk. Keep your comments. Be who God created you to be.”

Of course, there are other traits, but the main emphasis from Matthew is relationships. Whether it be the broken relationship of divorce or the misplaced relationship of lust, Matthew is teaching his readers that the main trait of the character of leadership is relationship.

Christ-Centered Leadership Values

Values are what you consider to be important or worthwhile. They influence behavior because you seek what you value.  They are guideposts for how you live, thus how you lead. 

Although Matthew does not use the word love like John does, love of God and love of neighbor is the value of Jesus’ followers and the guiding value of Christ-centered leaders. 

43 “You have heard that it was said, You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who harass you 45 so that you will be acting as children of your Father who is in heaven” (Verses 43-45). 

To love is to reflect the nature of God in and through your leadership. This love is agape. It means you are working for the good of all people. No matter what a person might do to you by way of insult, injury, or humiliation, you never seek anything other than his or her highest good.  It is a feeling of the mind as much as it is of the heart; it concerns the will just as much as it does the emotions.  It describes the effort of seeking the best for all people. It is unconquerable benevolence and generosity.  

Love is the underlying value of Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount.  This value of love is the foundation of all relationships.   

Christ-Centered Leadership Virtues

Virtues are behaviors seen as good or productive. They are like behavioral habits, something that is exhibited consistently. Aristotle wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” If that is true, then character in leadership is revealed in who you are, in the way you live your life and interact with the people entrusted to you. 

Paul gave a list of virtues exhibited in the behavior of spirit-filled Jesus followers, “The Fruit of the Spirit.” These virtues are necessary to live the life God has created you to live. 

Paul taught his virtues and Matthew taught his. Although his virtues were not “the fruit of the Spirit,” Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount provides the teaching of virtues of Jesus’ followers. Matthew concludes Jesus’ teaching in that sermon with these words, “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell, and great was it fall” (Matthew 7:26-27). 

It is not easy, at all times, to love your neighbor. How much more difficult is it to love your enemy? It is not always easy to be a person of your word. You want to be, but friendships, situations, decisions, and anger sometimes reveal your true character, what is truly deep inside. 

Think of it this way, traits such as openness to experience, self-confidence, and persistence contribute to your behavior of putting yourself on the line and acting courageously. Values such as integrity, treating people with respect, and loving people who no one else loves, reveal courageous behavior. When you lead with integrity you tend to act differently than the person who lacks integrity, even if both of you are in the same situation. 

As a Christ-centered leader, when your virtue is love, you will respond with care and respect to all persons in every situation and circumstance. “Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete” (Verse 48). 

Your character is shaped by your values and is revealed in your traits. Who you are is how you lead. 

Respond

Often, in response to the study of the scripture, I form an image of what I have read or remember a story that illustrates the scripture for me. Below is one story that illustrates character. 

A Jewish couple was arguing over the name to give to their firstborn.  They finally asked the rabbi to come and intercede.

“What’s the problem?”  The rabbi asked.

The wife spoke first.  “My husband wants to name the boy after his father, and I want to name the boy after my father.”

“What is your father’s name?” the rabbi asked the man.

“Joseph,” was his reply.

“And what is your father’s name?” the rabbi asked the woman.

“Joseph,” was her reply.

The rabbi was stunned.  “So, what is the problem?”

It was the wife who spoke again.  “His father was a horse thief, and mine was a righteous man.  How can I know my son is named after my father and not his?”

The rabbi thought and then replied, “Call the boy ‘Joseph.’  Then see if he is a horse thief or a righteous man.  You will know which father’s name he wears by the way he lives his life.”

Are You a Christ-Centered Leader?

To call yourself a leader, a Christ-centered leader is one thing.  To be known as a Christ-centered leader by those who watch your life is another thing altogether.  You are known by your character or the fruit you produce.  Jesus said, “…everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

You are known as a Christ-centered leader by the way you relate to people and work for their good. You will be known as a courageous Christ-centered leader when your character reveals you first live by love and second share that love.

Your inner life will be revealed in and through your relationships, by the way you live with your spouse, children, and family members.  Your character will always show up in your interactions with your neighbors, friends, and colleagues. It is the presence of God’s love that will make a difference with the people who are entrusted to your care. You will be known by your fruit. It will show up in your character of leadership.

Who you are is how you lead.

Return

Prayer

Let this prayer by Howard Thurman guide you:

“Teach us, Our Father, that if we nourish within our minds and spirits those things that work against life, we shall spend our years stumbling in the darkness; that if we nourish within our minds, and spirits those things that make for life, for wholeness, for truth, for love, we shall become like Thee.  To become like Thee, O God, our Father, is the be-all and end-all of our desiring.”

At the end of the day, give God thanks for the people you met today.

  • In what situations did you feel you were making decisions based on character?
  • With whom was your character challenged?
  • How did you respond?
  • How did you assist others in developing the character of their lives?
  • Who is helping you grow in character?
  • What will you do differently tomorrow as a leader?
  • Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be.