Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the month “March, 2023”

20 Mar 2023

Communicating the Message

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed. … 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders. … 7 where they continued to preach the gospel. … 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. … 21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. … 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. Acts 14 NIV

It is interesting to look at the variety of ways the Gospel and salvation are described in this one chapter of Acts 14.

Note the following from the above passage:

… Jews and Gentiles believed – something to believe

… the message of his grace – a message to communicate and receive

… preach the gospel – the ‘good news’ to be shared with others

… good news – important, life changing information to be listened to and received

… turn… to the living God – a change in life direction towards the one, true living God

… the faith – something to be believed

… the Lord, in whom they had put their trust – a trust-based personal relationship with the Lord Jesus

… the door of faith – something to walk through

As you reflect on and share the Good News with others, may it be the full embodiment of all that is included in putting our faith, trust, and hope in the living God and His Son, Jesus our Savior.

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13 Mar 2023

Your Ambition is Showing

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 1 Timothy 3:1 ESV

Leaders want to lead! But for Kingdom leaders we can sometimes feel like we should aspire to influence others. We tell ourselves that aspiring to lead is somehow like self-promotion rooted in pride and something that we should keep under wraps. Don’t show it or someone may think your ego has the best of you!

Remember what Jesus said to the Zebedee brothers when they aspired to the top two positions in the coming Kingdom – to sit on His right and left? In Mark 10:25ff we see their aspiration verbalized by their bold request. We can imagine the reactions of the other ten upon hearing this request – “And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John.” Mark 10:41 “Wow, I thought that we were all in this together? I thought we got selected together to this leadership training team three years ago we were all peers?” they must have thought. “Who died and made you king over us?”

Jesus listened patiently and then pointed out several key leadership points related to the Kingdom. First, don’t think that self-promotion will get you ahead in the Kingdom. Leadership positions are determined by the Lord. Let them come to you rather than you chasing them.

Secondly, we note that Jesus did not rebuke them for aspiring to lead, but He did point them to the process for getting ahead in the Kingdom. Choosing to serve others rather than lead others is the path to Kingdom influence. Kingdom leaders can aspire to express their servant identity should God grant them the privilege of leadership. They don’t aspire to leadership positions because of the power they might have, but rather to Kingdom responsibility for God’s glory, not their own ‘lording it over others.’

Thus, Paul reminds Timothy that it’s a good thing to aspire to the role of overseer/elder for this leadership is a ‘noble task.’ Just check your motives. Is it about me or is it about God and His purposes? He knows your heart.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45 ESV

Be like Jesus!

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06 Mar 2023

Mobility and the Lord’s Servant

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. … Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road–that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, … When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. Acts 8:4-5, 26-27, 39-40 NIV

Philip, one of the seven chosen to serve the over-looked widows because of he was ‘full of the Spirit and wisdom” (see Acts 6:1-5). After the stoning of Stephen, Philip left Jerusalem, going north to Samaria to proclaim to these people the Good News of Jesus and forgiveness through His name (Acts 8:12). Then, led by the Spirit, he moved south to the road leading up to Jerusalem where he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch and led him to faith in Christ as he had done in Samaria. (Acts 8:26ff). Immediately after this encounter, the Spirit took Philip west to Azotus and then north through the coastal towns until he reached Caesarea. And here Philip’s story takes a long pause.

Note Philip’s mobility for the sake of the Gospel. He went north to Samaria from Jerusalem, then south to meet the Ethiopian, then west to Azotus, and then north again along the coastal road to Caesarea. He was led of the Spirit to this mobile lifestyle. He was ‘deployable’ – able to be moved to a place where he can be used when he is needed. And God blessed his efforts with fruit as he shared the message of Jesus.

We next encounter Philip 20+ years later at the end of Paul’s third missionary tour. Paul and friends stop in Caesarea and there they meet with Philip. In Acts 21:8-9 we read, “Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.” Philip had married, settled down, raised four daughters, and for the past 20+ years had stayed in Caesarea. What to make of this?

There is a time for mobility and there is a time for settling down. Both are good and right. There is a time for singleness and a time for marriage and raising children. We do not conclude that marriage necessarily means the end of mobility, nor do we say that being single means one cannot settle in one place for an extended period. It is all dependent upon the Lord’s direction. Listen carefully to His leading and you will know if it is time to move or time to stay!

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