Spirit of Leadership

THE LEADERSHIP SPIRIT excited about their excitement because he saw humanity exercising power in the way the Creator first intended them to. Mankind was in control of his circumstances. Imagine a fisherman having power over death, cleansing lepers, opening blind eyes, and unstopping deaf ears. I believe that this early experience is one reason why his disciples left their businesses and their jobs and never returned to them. They followed Jesus because, when they were with him, they tasted their true selves. He intro duced them to themselves. He reconnected them to who they really were. He tapped into their inherent leadership nature and potential. If you study the lessons he taught, they all relate to this theme. He walked on the water and said, in effect, “You can do this; come.” He healed the sick, and then he said, “Go ahead, do it.” He was showing them how to have dominion over their environment, how to have power over circumstances through the power of God. Earlier, I mentioned the request of the mother of James and John that they have leadership positions in Jesus’s kingdom government: “May my sons sit on your right and your left in your kingdom?” Again, it is impor tant to note that he did not rebuke them or deny their request to become great. On the contrary, he went on to teach them how to achieve greatness. I think that we sometimes miss his point. He said, in essence, “The rulers of this world lord it over people, but that is not what you are to do. He who wants to become great among you must be a servant.” He didn’t say, “Don’t try to be great because that’s prideful.” He didn’t tell them that their desire was wrong. Instead, he told them how to get there, what it means to become a great leader.

107