Everybody Can Be Great

Greetings in the Name of our Lord, 

I hope you will join us in worship this Sunday and invite someone to join you. Studies show that if we make five invitations to worship with those in our relationship circle of work, neighborhood, family, school and organizations we serve, three out of five will respond positively. The other two will appreciate the invitation. Let’s all Invite someone to worship this Sunday and be a blessing to those around us. 

In this month's worship, we have been dealing with the leadership of Jesus as a role model for our lives. Leadership is not about position, it is about how we relate, inspire, and encourage those around us. 

On Sunday, we will look at the hands of Jesus as a metaphor for His leadership process. Hands provide a powerful symbol for the leadership of Jesus. The Bible is filled with vivid images of Jesus’ hands at work. With His hands, Jesus healed the sick, cleansed lepers, fed the hungry, overturned the tables of the money changers, washed the feet of His closest disciples, and hung from a cross to save sinful human beings. With His hands, Jesus rescued the fearful, reassured the doubting, restored the fallen, and beckoned the already occupied to a higher calling and a special personal relationship with Him. 

Most importantly, Jesus used His hands to point the way to the holy and loving God. Jesus was constantly nudging His followers to take the next step in their discipleship path. 

As we continue to examine the leadership of Jesus, we look at the leadership development process of Jesus. In his book, Lead Like Jesus, Ken Blanchard divides this process into four stages – the novice, the apprentice, the journeyman, and the master teacher. Specifically, we will look at the story of Peter’s development. Mentioned more than any of the other disciples, Peter is mentioned 19 times in the Gospels as he grows from novice to master teacher and leader of the early church.   

Imagine how the world would change if every Christ follower led their children, friends, co-workers, fellow students, and employees with the servant leadership of Jesus. 

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Here is what Dr. King said about servant leadership,

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”

Pastor John Allen