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LEADERSHIP 101 – Part 1
Celebration Church
October 27, 2024,
Dr. Tom Bartlett
What is leadership?
Part 2 is: leading others
· Leading others is the ability to get people to follow willingly, in a word leadership is influence
Part 1 is: Leading self
· Leading self is harder, but it is the first step to great leadership
“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.” - Viktor E. Frankl
Romans 12:2 (VOICE) 2 Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.
Philippians 2:3 (NIV) 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Biblical Repentance - to change from an earthly mindset and earthy actions to heavenly or God-directed.
Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV) (Jesus) . . .whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
MY LEADERSHIP with H.I.M. BEGINS WHEN I . . .
HUMBLY DECIDE TO SERVE
Matthew 20:26b (NIV). . .whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
John 13:12-16 (NIV) 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Decide to:
· Serve the people I live with
· See the needs in the community
MY LEADERSHIP with H.I.M. BEGINS WHEN I . . .
Humbly decide to serve
IGNORE THE DESIRE TO BE FIRST
Matthew 20:27 (NIV) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave
Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV) 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Fight to:
· Advance others first
· Wait on God to advance me
MY LEADERSHIP with H.I.M. BEGINS WHEN I . . .
Humbly decide to serve
Ignore the desire to be first
MOVE MY LIFE TO A GREATER CAUSE
Matthew 20:28 (NIV) 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Question: Who will be in heaven because of you and your decision to give your life away to a cause that will outlast you?
Revelation 7:9 (NIV) After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
John 15:13 (NIV) Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Greater Cause:
· Love others like Christ
· Invest my life for eternity
Next Step: I will serve others by serving HIM. (Jesus)
MANUSCRIPT
LEADERSHIP 101 – Part 1
Basics of Biblical Leadership
Celebration Church - October 27, 2024,
Dr. Tom Bartlett
ME
Over my life I’ve worked with and for people who I just didn’t like much. When then asked me to do things I just did it because they were my boss but not because I wanted to do a good job.
I’ve also worked with people that I would do anything for them that asked and I wanted to do a great job for them.
WE
Have you ever experienced that? Ever worked for someone that you didn’t respect?
Have you ever worked with or for someone you respected greatly?
What’s the difference?
The difference is usually not in the job or task but in how that person treated you or led you.
It’s been said that people will go a long way for a leader they know truly cares about them.
“At the end of the day people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” ? Maya Angelou (American writer and poet)
We start a series today called Leadership 101. The basic principles of biblical leadership.
What is leadership?
I’ve been a student of leadership for most of my adult life and I have to tell you that I’ve read so many definitions on his topic, but the one that resonates with me the most came to me not from my professors in the doctoral program, not even from great books, though I’ve read many. The one that resonates with me came from a simple man who led different organizations and brought some important changes in his field. That man was my dad. The definition below includes his words on the subject.
Part 2 is: Leading others
· Leading others is the ability to get people to follow willingly, in a word leadership is influence
Now that is the second part of leadership! You might think, “There are two parts?” Yes! There is. We will deal with the second part next week, but today we will deal with the first part of leadership, which is self-leadership. Before you lead others, you must first lead yourself.
Socrates once said that people should first, “Know thyself”. I think many people fail to work on leading themselves and the discipline necessary for a successful life.
Part 1 is: Self-leadership
· Leading self is harder, but it is the first step to great leadership
Now, leading self is all about the choices you will make. As a parent, a co-worker, a business owner, a teacher, or in any profession, there are certain things you must be aware of about yourself.
Viktor E. Frankl is a renowned psychologist who was a Jew and was a prisoner in the Nazi concentration camps in WWII. His work dealt with and centered on the idea of man’s purpose in life.
He said something so profound, that I often think of it.
“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.” - Viktor E. Frankl
In this life you will either be forced to think and do by outside forces, what they say, and what they do, or you will learn to determine and respond as you believe is best.
Proactive vs. reactive.
You will be led by an outside force. It may be the influence of those around you and the current world system or political system or you could choose to be influenced by God and his word and follow that.
In Romans 12 Paul is heading to the end stretch of the most doctrinal book in the New Testament. He’s asking people to see the power of God and for them to be released from the pressures that would mold them into what everyone else looks like and is doing.
Romans 12:2 (VOICE) 2 Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.
Paul would later use the example of the greatest person to ever live, Jesus when He states,
Philippians 2:3 (NIV) 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
You see, in life if you think you, “Have no choices” in life you’re already trapped. The choice you will always have no matter the circumstances is this. You get to choose how you think about something and how you will respond to it.
This is why we often talk about the biblical concept of “Repentance” which simply means changing your mind and, your actions.
REPENTANCE: Biblically, to change from an earthly mindset and earthy actions to a heavenly or God-directed mindset.
Now, the natural idea is that to be a great leader, I have to get people to follow, but in reality, to be a great leader, I must first be someone worth following.
In business, teaching, and, ministry, the old saying is true; “People must buy into you before they buy into your vision.”
Well, Jesus had a lot to say about leadership and greatness, let’s look at one of His most quoted portions of the Bible on the topic.
GOD
In Matthew 20, some of Jesus’ followers were jockeying for position and asking questions about who would be the greatest in His kingdom. Jesus' answer to them was certainly not what they expected.
Matthew 20:26-28 (NIV) (Jesus) . . .whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In this passage, we can apply three principles to great leadership and following the greatest leader, Jesus. Because He is the example to follow, my leadership begins and ends with H.I.M.
MY LEADERSHIP with H.I.M. BEGINS WHEN I . . .
HUMBLY DECIDE TO SERVE
Look at what Jesus said to these seemingly cocky disciples. They had just witnessed numerous miracles and thought they knew how this story was going to play out.
Matthew 20:26b (NIV). . .whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
This was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to explain greatness.
In God‘s kingdom, greatness is measured completely differently from the world. In the world, it is a strive to get to the top, demand respect, and get a high position.
In the kingdom of God, the way up is down. Jesus says if greatness is what you seek, become a willing servant. A person who is willing to serve others out of devotion and genuine care is honored to a high position. This is particularly true when they don’t have to do this, but choose to do it.
Jesus said if you want to be considered great, serve and become a slave, but this is not without an example. This is the very posture that Jesus took.
John chapter 13 is similar to the timeline that Matthew writes in Matthew chapter 20. Each of these disciples is sharing what they observed. Here Jesus demonstrates what true self-leadership is by way of example. He washed His disciples' feet. This was the lowest thing He could do.
Foot washing was done by a servant in a home. It was customary to wipe off the filth from walking streets that were both pathways and toilets for animals.
John 13:12-16 (NIV) 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Can you do that? Can you serve others, especially those beneath you so to speak?
Or do you demand service? Serving others opens the door to true respect and honor, and honestly, it does something to us that helps to feel a sense of significance and purpose.
Want to be great?
Decide to:
· Serve the people I live with
· See the needs in the community
Next,
MY LEADERSHIP with H.I.M. BEGINS WHEN I . . .
Humbly decide to serve
IGNORE THE DESIRE TO BE FIRST
We’ve all seen children lining up for the water fountain at school or for a game. They push and shove and strive to be first in line. It’s no different in adults. For some the thought of another driver getting ahead of you in heavy traffic, even though they can get nowhere any faster, drives us mad! Why? Because deep inside, we want to be first, to be seen, to lead.
You might say, “That’s not me Pastor Tom.” Well, let me ask this. Suppose you’re in a line at Disney to ride a ride and it’s taking a long time. You’ve already waited 45 minutes and another family walks up and simply steps in front of you. How would that make you feel?
Now, I get the, “What’s right and wrong” thing, but I’m asking, how it makes you feel. It reveals part of that area of who we are that will always need to be dealt with. “Who are you to get in front of me?”
When it comes to others we’re in community with, or live with, Jesus says. . .
Matthew 20:27 (NIV) 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave
This word, “First” is “Protos” in Greek and it refers to being of high rank and status.
If you were to ask the average person, “What does success look like?” They’d most likely list all the accomplishments and all of the possessions one could want.
But is that truly success? Truly greatness?
You see you could have every accolade necessary by the world's standards, get a degree, and go on to higher education. You can own all the things people desire, houses and vehicles and more and never find true greatness, respect, and success.
Jesus is saying you don’t have to have all that to be successful. It’s not about what you have, it’s about who you are!
Jesus’ example about putting others before self. . .
Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV) 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
The natural desire is going to be to look out for number 1! But self-leadership in preparation for leading others demands that we. . .
Fight to:
· Advance others first
· Wait on God to advance me
This is the change that the gospel, the good news makes in life.
GOSPEL MESSAGE HERE
MY LEADERSHIP with H.I.M. BEGINS WHEN I . . .
Humbly decide to serve
Ignore the desire to be first
MOVE TO A GREATER CAUSE
We’re all exchanging our lives for something. You exchange your time, effort, and experience for a paycheck. You exchange your money for training or an education to raise levels of employment. BUT, at the end of the day, you’re exchanging your life for what comes next. Your life is an investment. When you're gone your work will be over. What legacy will you leave? How will you be remembered?
Jesus was not on this planet for Himself, and neither are you!
Matthew 20:28 (NIV) 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I was talking to Nathan, one of our young preaching team members, I think he’s 17. He said he was talking to a man who was in the last quarter of his life and the man said he wanted to invest all of his time in God’s work now. This young man at 17 said, “I don’t want to wait till then, I want my entire life to count for God.” HOW BRILLIANT IS THAT YOUNG MAN??
If you don’t learn the art of self-leadership, you may look back over your life one day and wonder why you did what you did. Why were you focused more on yourself and not on others?
Question: Who will be in heaven because of you and your decision to give your life away to a cause that will outlast you?
One of my favorite thoughts is expressed in Revelation 7:9. One day, people from every walk of life, from every corner of the planet will be gathered together in heaven bringing honor to the one who emptied Himself for them, who thought more of them than Himself, (of course that’s Jesus). And we who are believers will get to be there too.
Revelation 7:9 (NIV) After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Jesus’ example is not just for salvation but for us to follow. He told His followers,
John 15:13 (NIV) Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
That’s what He wants us to do!
Greater Cause:
· Love others like Christ
· Invest my life for eternity
YOU
We’ve heard about the importance of self-leadership and investing our lives in a cause that will outlast us. What will you do with this? Will you waste your life or invest your life?
To invest, you must lead yourself to serve!
Next Step: I will serve others by serving HIM. (Jesus)
WE
Picture everyone in this room deciding to serve like that. Deciding to lead themselves to be like Jesus! We’d change the world.
