Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the month “May, 2026”

18 May 2026

Play Hardball, Not Softball!

Jesus had provided free food to 5,000 people and attracted many with engaging parables and wonderful healings.  He knew many were superficial in their commitment to following Him and their understanding of discipleship.  Thus, He drew a very clear line in the sand on what it meant to follow Him.  The Bread of Life sermon in John 6:41-69 defined the cost of discipleship.

“Everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life,” He said.  “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” He continued, referring to the physical manna God had provided for wandering Israel in the desert.  “I am the bread of life…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life.”  The crowd grumbled as the cost of discipleship and His claims became clear. 

Jesus follows with, “Does this offend you?”  And John records, “From that time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him.” (v. 66)  Jesus defined the relationship and left it to the people to decide if they would pay the price to truly follow Him as His disciples.  Sadly, many walked away.

Note too that Jesus did not assume the Twelve would continue with Him.  He says to them, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”  Peter sums up their attitude, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life?” (v. 67-68)

Billy Graham said, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything.”  Discipleship is not about joining a social club or seeking fun with your friends.  It’s choosing life over death and a total commitment to obey Jesus whatever He may ask, trusting His promise of the resurrection and eternal life.

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04 May 2026

The Foundation Determines the Superstructure!

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…” Luke 6:12-13 ESV

Having spent a year since His baptism around Jerusalem and recruited the two sets of brothers to full-time discipleship, Jesus now creates a ‘leadership team’ called the Apostles.  The Twelve were chosen by Jesus as He looked ahead two years knowing that He would be leaving them to carry on His mission to reach the world. 

These Twelve would become the model for others who would come.  Anyone who wondered what following Jesus was like only had to look at the example of His inner circle to know what discipleship meant.  The Twelve were both catalyst and model for the disciplemaking movement.  They were the foundation on which Jesus would build. 

Within two years from their designation a ‘messengers’ (apostles), they were given the final command to ‘make disciples of all the nations’ (Matthew 28:18-20).  They would take what they knew and experienced, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, seek to conquer the world.  Local leaders commented, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”  (Acts 6:13)

As others are attracted to your disciplemaking they will evaluate the quality of your influence by the lives of those already involved.  Especially those designated as disciplemaking leaders act as a living advertisement of what discipleship means. 

In the case of the Twelve, it was undeniable that they had ‘been with Jesus’ and no other schooling experience could explain their behavior.  The first generation determines all who follow. 

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