leadership as jesus would love it practised

What is servant leadership? The concept of servant leadership begins by being a servant first. A servant leader must first learn to serve before taking on a leadership position. Servant leaders serve because they are motivated by love and humility. Jesus is the perfect example of servant leadership. Jesus humbled himself and became a servant of all.

The following Bible verses provide a concept of servant leadership.

Matthew 20:25-26
25Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Matthew 20:27-28
27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

John 13:3-5
3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

John 13:12-15
12When 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. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

1 Peter 5:2-4
2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

Leadership is influence.

This is the definition that was given by the great gospel preacher, Spurgeon.

Leadership is the ability to offer direction,

 Be willing to follow it

Allow others to take you as a role model.

Leadership thus dictates that you take your position ahead and allow people to follow you.

Good leadership enhances production, develops high morale among staff and minimizes problem that come in the course of doing business. 

Jesus the greatest leader that ever travelled the phase of the earth had exemplary leadership skills and styles.

If you and I could possibly duplicate his leadership style, then our lives as leaders could take a great paradigm shift.

Jesus’ family background is quite blank and has nothing to write of for great leaders. He came from a remote village

A product of some domestic animal orphanage called manger

Had no formal education let alone higher education

And had no access to internet use let alone the smart phone with GPRS.

Yet you know as well as I do that wherever, Jesus passed his impact was felt a great deal and things never remained the same again.

Jesus the great Passover of God did not use his divine power to change people.

On the contrary he used people to change people, (Apostles), Messenger or one who is sent.

Disciples means disciplined followers

The likes of you and I with weaknesses and frail to changes were his tools of leadership

From a group of 12 Apostles, Jesus founded the church of Christ which is his body.

These are the ones who accepted to die in him, be Born of his Blood and Baptized in his body.

He was and still is the best source of influence.

Remember Aristotle 

Aristotle is a towering figure in ancient Greek philosophy, making contributions to logic, metaphysics, mathematics, physics, biology, botany, ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance and theatre. He was a student of Plato who in turn studied under Socrates. He was more empirically-minded than Plato or Socrates and is famous for rejecting Plato’s theory of forms.

Archimedes with the Archimedes principle

Archimedes' principle indicates that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially submerged, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces. Archimedes' principle is a law of physics fundamental to fluid mechanics. Archimedes of Syracuse^[1] formulated this principle, which bears his name.

Martin Luther King Jnr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American pastor, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.

He was born Michael King, but his father changed his name in honor of German reformer Martin Luther. A Baptist minister, King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, in 1962, and organized nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama, that attracted national attention following television news coverage of the brutal police response. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history

Mother Teresa etc.

The Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C.,^[1] commonly known as Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), was a Roman Catholic Religious Sister and missionary^[2] of Albanian origin who lived most of her life in India of which, since 1948, she was a citizen.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation, which in 2012 consisted of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries. They run hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis; soup kitchens; dispensaries and mobile clinics; children's and family counseling programmes; orphanages; and schools. Members of the order must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, and the fourth vow, to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor".^[3]

Mother Teresa was the recipient of numerous honours including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize

They were names worth reading but not dying for.

But ask some of us who they were and most minds will go blank

Yet make the mistake our asking our beloved Mwende,  a related question about Jesus, who he is?

By the way who is Jesus to you?

To me Jesus is Lord, Saviour, Master, Teacher, Way, Truth and Life, The same yesterday, today and forever, The Alpha and Omega. He is my God the All in All.

Requirements of a good leader 

1.  Jesus was uncommonly knowledgeable

John 7:14-15

¹⁴ Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. ¹⁵ The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”

This he told his disciples without winking his eyes

He knew his job

Luke 5:20²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 5:5 ⁵ Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

John 17:24 ²⁴ “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

He knew why he came on earth

John 8:31-32 ³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:51, 10:34-38, Luke 5:32

He knew where he was headed

John 7:33-34 ³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. ³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

He knew the results of his job

As a leader you and I must be knowledgeable in our area of duty

2.   A leader must be visionary

John 4:34 John 4:34

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

Jesus knew he came into the world that the world through his blood could be saved.

He had trouble with his disciples in that as much as he lived his dream, the disciples at times could not fathom as yet what he meant at times.

John 6:35-51

 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, That I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[d] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

3.   A leader must have a clear vision

Be focused in accomplishing it and communicate it well to his people, Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
    but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

Mark 8:31-33

Jesus Predicts His Death

³¹ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. ³² He spoke plainlyabout this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

The Way of the Cross

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

While Peter sought comfort for his King, Jesus sought conquest for the kingdom.

This teaches us that leadership must:

i)             Build a vision off their values

ii)           Connect others who drift from the vision

iii)          Help the team lay aside personal agendas to reach their vision.

iv)          Pay the price to achieve the vision.

4.   A leader must be an Astute recruiter

Tell me your friends and I will tell you who you are

Jesus was a good interviewer

He surrounded himself with people who had no historical background to write home about.

They fell asleep when expected to pray in an all night of prayer

Mathew26:3646   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Gethsemane

³⁶ Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. ⁴¹ “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

⁴² He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

⁴³ When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.

⁴⁵ Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.⁴⁶ Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

They were weak when required to be strong and they even ran away when the push came to shove.

Mark 14:51 ⁵¹ A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him,

John 18:15-18 Peter’s First Denial

¹⁵ Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, ¹⁶ but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

¹⁷ “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

¹⁸ It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

When Jesus’ vision was coming to fruition on Calvary, they could not keep up with him. Mark 14:50

And as you and I do know, they went into hiding fearing for their lives when Jesus was declaring on the cross that is finished. To them fear was written all over.

According to Jesus they merited in leadership test.

Jesus was not looking for perfect people, but people willing to be led and used by Jesus for his mission of reaching people and making disciples.

They were notably loyal, trustworthy, could interact well with people, had enormous skills, were dedicated to the vision and mission of Jesus Christ their leader.

They communicated well with the leader, Jesus and the team. They were not self serving and could walk independently.

 So incorporated in the vision of Jesus that most of them died fulfilling the mission of their leader! These Apostles never thought of themselves highly than they did of Jesus, their leader.

2 Timothy 4:6-8, Revelation 1:9-10

Jesus had around him people who he understood their hearts condition and determined them to be the best find.

Jesus practiced servant leadership better than any other leader everyone else. John 13:1-17

The King of Kings was willing to wash the feet of his disciples John 13:1-

The death of Jesus Christ on the rugged cross out of the city was the greatest example of servant leadership ever demonstrated on the face of the earth. Luke 23:26, Mathew 27:45-47

He was God yet gave this just to die for us lost sinners that we may access the love of God.

He lowered himself to the point of great sinner to win as to himself.

Jesus solely accepted to carry the cross that you and I might understand the deep love he has for us.

As a suffering servant he teaches us the import of serving in leadership with humility and dedication.

The bible declares, like a sheep being led to slaughter he remained quiet even when he knew the ignorance of whom he was suffering for. No wonder Paul declares that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jesus leadership does not wonder or trouble after titles.

This is leadership at its best.

What would you describe as your leadership style?

Do people complain about you openly, secretly or slowly they run away from you without saying anything?

Is it possible you do not listen care or even consider different cases by their merit?

Learn how Jesus handled the case of the woman caught in the act of adultery. John 8:1-11

Or even the case of the Samaritan woman John 4;

"For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."—1 Corinthians 5:7.

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.

ATTITUDE OF SERVANT-LEADERSHIP

The essence, style and attitude of servant leadership is found in Philippians 2:3-5. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature God, …made himself nothing , taking the very nature of a servant.” Regardless of the mode of leading (autocratic, democratic or lassiz-faire), the focus of servant leadership is on the growth, success and welfare of the followers. The primary focus of a servant-leader is on his or her followers rather than on self. It is this singular characteristic which defines servant-leadership.
Whatever the “service,” the servant-leader looks not only at his own interests but to the interests of those he or she is leading and serving. Interests and needs are not necessarily pandering to the whims or pampering whiny followers. The servant-leader Jesus served best at times by saying “no” to some who wanted to follow him (as with the Geresene demoniac), denied the requests of others (James and John in Mark 10:36-40) and even “fired” some who weren’t going where he was going (John 6:66, Luke 14:25-35). We must allow Jesus to define servant leadership. Everything he did was done in the style and attitude of being a servant-leader. This includes washing the disciple’s feet but goes way beyond that. He always acted on behalf of and for the good of those he served. Oswald Sanders wrote, “The true leader regards the welfare of others rather than his own comfort and prestige as of primary concern.”
Attitude is everything. If servanthood is merely a technique to advance yourself, you will fail. It’s like trying to fake authenticity. Although many Christian leaders like to be seen as servant-leaders, few want to be treated as servants. For this reason, servanthood must come from the heart. We are called to lead in different arenas–in our homes, on our jobs and in our ministries. If servant-leadership is genuine, there will be a seamless garment of servant leadership in every arena where leading and serving are required. Would your wife and children tag you as a servant-leader?
In Christian service and ministry the only acceptable style and attitude of leadership is that of servant-leadership. A style which is not like Jesus Christ cannot be called “Christian.” There is no room for king-leadership, selfish-leadership, ruler-leadership and self-serving leadership. We never move on from servant-leadership to some other style of leadership. Position does not ever give us the right to lord over anyone…ever.
JOHN 13:1-
Verse 1 “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” You can serve people without loving them but you cannot love people without serving them.
Verse 3 “Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;” Jesus really understood his identity. Jesus understood that all things had been given to him by the father. There was nothing people could give him that the Father had not already given him. Many leaders are too insecure to serve because they feel they will lose the esteem of those they serve. The Lord knew where he had come from and where he was going.
Verses 12-17 Jesus ends this episode by explaining what he did, “Do you understand what I have done for you? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Jesus’ servant leadership did not reduce him to a door mat. His service was with purpose. He was training, modeling and multiplying servant-leaders.

THE TOP TEN LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES OF JESUS

Mark 8: 34-38

Jesus was and still remains the ultimate leader of all times.

He never wrote any book, went to a bible school, but his movement grows on strongly 2014 down the line.

These ten principles are taken exclusively from the life of Jesus:-

1.      Leadership is servanthood, Mathew 20:25-28, Mark 8:35

2.      Let your purpose prioritize your life, Mathew 6:33, Luke 19:10, John 17:4

3.      Live the life before you lead others. Luke 7:22-23, John 14:11

4.      Leaders must replenish themselves. Mark 1:35-38, 6:31

5.      Impact comes from relationship not positions Luke9:6, John 4:5-20

Never take the brethren for granted or good for nothing even when they have wronged you

Jesus said forgive 70 times seventy

None of us is perfect and there is no perfect church. Do not think you can do without me. Jesus has placed me here for a special mandate; allow me to fulfill it even though it may hurt you.

Then and only then will you understand the meaning of long suffering

If Jesus were to chase away people how many do you think he could have chased away?

Instead he embraced the sinners and declared that the son of man never came for the righteous.

Have you ever known that none of Jesus’ disciples was a perfect man?

They all had inconsistencies and Jesus knew how to make them his followers and the apostles even when they failed the test at the most critical hour.

Your test of leadership will arise from relationships.

Do you build and sustain them or you scuttle?

That is food for thought.

6.      Great leaders call for great commitment, Mathew 10:17, Mark 8:34-38        

7.      Show security when handling tough issues, Mark 11:27-33, Luke 20:19-26.

8.      Credibility comes by meeting needs and solving problems, Luke 5:12-15, 8:38-39.

9.      Leaders must choose and develop their key people, Mark 3:14, Luke 10:1

Please let us not be in a hurry to chase away people! This is my passionate plea.

In business one customer turned away negatively witnesses to utmost 3-5 people and when you add up the matrix my friend, sooner than later you may close shop. Wapendwa tuache hasira ya mkizi.

10.  There is no success without a successor, Mathew 28:20, Acts 1:8