Proper 26 (A)

November 3, 2002

Leadership 101 from the Master Leader

Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus called His men together and instructed them on leadership and pointed to the Pharisees and scribes as the "how not to lead" leaders. He said, "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds" (Mat. 23:2b-3). Today we want to take a course in Leadership 101 from the Master Leader, Jesus Christ.

I. Leadership is Building the Community of Believers By Example

True leadership is not afraid to demonstrate the "pull up the sleeve" and work mentality. Often people tell us how to do something but are afraid to get their own hands dirty. The best of leadership gets down and works at the job himself. That kind of leadership does several things for others:

1) The leader example understands the problem that others are facing first hand. It's not just theoretic, but practical, and the problem solving becomes practical.

2) The leader example understands that mentoring others is vital.

3) The leader example understands that he is energizing others to effectively do their best for the kingdom.

4) The leader example understands that he/she is entrusting others with responsibility. There are risks involved, but Jesus saw that he would invest his time with the twelve, but he was entrusting them with responsibility as well.

II. Leadership is Building the Community of Believers By Loving

Bill Hybels, pastor of the Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, relates that in the early 1970's he had a powerful experience that changed his life. He was a college student taking one of those required New Testament Studies courses to complete his major. He described it as a guaranteed "brain-numbing boring" experience that he was anticipating.

Staking out the back row seat and slouched down in a comfortable position he said, "I had no idea that a spiritual ambush awaited me." His professor, Dr. Gilbert Bilezekian, had lectured for his allotted 45 minutes. Hybel thought he was wrapping it up, and so he was packing his bag and ready to go to the next class. Then something unexpected happened. The professor stepped out from behind the lectern and began baring his soul to a room full of unsuspecting twenty-year-olds.

What Dr. Bilezekian said to those college young people needs to be repeated in the church often.

He stated: "Students, there was once a community of believers that was so totally devoted to God that the believer's lives together were charged with the Spirit's power.

"In that band of Christ-followers, believers loved each other with a radical kind of love. They took off their masks and shred their lives with one another. They laughed and cried and prayed and sang and served together in authentic Christian fellowship. "Acts 2 tells us that this community of believers, this church, offered unbelievers a vision of life that was so beautiful it took their breath away. It was so bold, so creative, so dynamic that they couldn't resist it."1