Regardless of your faith beliefs, the Bible is the greatest leadership book ever written! It is crammed full of incredible insights that can be used by anyone in a leadership role, regardless of your faith beliefs.
I want to take a series of scripture verses from the book of Luke that teach us much about the subject of leadership from the life of Jesus. I enjoy the book of Luke. He was a doctor and is extremely detailed in his accounts of historical narratives.
Whether you coach a team, work in an office, are in politics or ministry, or are simply applying principles to your family or community, enjoy and utilize these great lessons.
4:1 – “The Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit” – All great leaders understand the value of preparation prior to carrying out their tasks.
4:1 – “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” – To properly exercise authority you must first learn how to be under authority.
4:2 – “being tempted for forty days by the devil.” - Effective leadership will always encounter opposition.
4:2 – “And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.” – There is often a physical cost to leadership.
4:3 – “And the devil said to Him” – Leaders will always have voices in their ears who have competing agendas. Also, leaders must be very strategic about who occupies their inner-circle.
4:8 – And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get the behind me Satan!” – Leaders have hard conversations and make hard decisions.
4:8 – “For it is written” – Leaders must have an established set of core values that helps them make decisions. For the Christian leader, your core values should always flow from the Bible’s teaching.
4:14 – “news of Him went out through all the surrounding region” – Because of their influence, leaders are always talked about.
4:15 – “He taught in their synagogues” – Leaders reproduce themselves through the responsibility of instruction and teaching. Also, leaders proactively engage people.
4:16 – “And as His custom was” – Even though they are constantly moving people into the future, great leaders honor the past of their respective organizations.
4:18 – Jesus read these words from Isaiah. “To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed” – Leaders care about others. They want to make life better for those they serve. Leadership brings solutions to life’s challenges.
4:22 – “So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words” – Leaders are gracious.
4:24 – “no prophet is accepted in his own country ‘ – Leaders understand the hardest people to lead, the hardest people to impress are often those who know you best.
4:28 – “So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city” – Leaders understand popularity is fleeting. You must lead by principle.
4:34 – “Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are – the Holy One of God!” – This was spoken by a demon resided in a possessed man. Great leaders are known for their mission and what they are committed to.
4:35 – “Jesus rebuked him, saying ‘Be quiet, and come out of him!’” – Leaders are catalytic. They are positive change agents. They make things happen.
4:37 – “And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region.” – Great leaders are memorable and have a constantly expanding influence.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing. Feel free to utilize this material in your small group, Sunday School class, or message series. It will help people.
