KidMin Leadership: Word Disciplines (Jesus)

A few weeks ago, I helped my son move into his new house. Unfortunately, that dwelling is 2,000 miles away and we already miss our son.

We had traveled to Texas and were extremely excited to be part of their moving into their own home. God had made a way for their family to purchase a home—their first.

During the hectic day of moving, we were working to set up the bed in the guest room. I had a personal stake as my wife, and I would be sleeping in said bed. Putting together the bed frame required a small flat head screwdriver and all we had was a Phillips head or large flat head.

My son tried everything and finally turned to me and said, “These are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.” When he said it, I heard the echo of my own father’s voice.

My dad had been raised on a farm and had inherited several quaint farmer phrases, many of which are not appropriate at the table, shall we say. This allusion to submarine doors had always been one of my favorites and it had now been passed down from my grandfather to my son.

I imagine my grandchildren will pick it up soon.

I am now part of three generations of Watts and one thing has become apparent, for better or worse. Things get passed down from generation to generation including phrases, slogans, and ways of speaking. I listened to my father and those words were passed on to others.

Jesus Leading Through the Father’s Words

Listening to the Father and passing His words to others was one of the characteristic features of Jesus’ leadership to which we now turn. 

Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So, whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.” (John 12:44-50)

Like so many passages in John’s gospel, we find it densely packed—including references to Jesus’ divine nature, the purpose of His ministry, the role of the Father, and the final judgment.

It is not my intention to delve into these weighty topics, but rather to observe important leadership principles. It is true that Jesus leads in a completely unique manner unlike any leader before or since. His capacity as a leader was unique.

He was God incarnate and as such we are wise to take care in not mistakenly correlating Jesus’ leadership to our own. 

However, qualities such as servanthood, relational ministry, and focusing on the development of a small core of committed followers have long been admired as qualities that should be emulated by Christian leaders. Numerous books on Jesus’ leadership practices have made this clear.

For our purposes, we can draw out two important principles.

First, Jesus makes the explicit statement that whatever He is saying is what the Father has told Him to say.

Jesus’ words are given to Him by the Father. What He is teaching, even commanding, is coming directly through Him from the Father. He is self-effacing in that He consistently brings the Word of the Father to the forefront and speaks with the Word given Him by the Father.

Speaking on behalf of the Father is characteristic of great leadership. He maintains a posture of humility and draws attention to the message of the Father.

This harkens back to the words of Joseph, before the Pharoah, when Joseph asserts his inability to interpret the Pharoah’s dreams. God alone has the insight, and He alone can provide the answers to Pharaoh’s questions. 

We are reminded again, and by the world’s greatest leader, that our goal is to communicate not on our own behalf but on behalf of the Father. The effective leader is to develop the “Word Discipline“ of maintaining humility and communicating God’s Word.

This falls as a weighty responsibility and to be undertaken carefully lest we speak erroneously on God’s behalf. Fortunately, Jesus provides a key to this kind of “Word Discipline.”

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” 31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”“We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:25-33)

Jesus spoke many times in John’s gospel regarding His intimate relationship with the Father. However, in this passage He states directly that He and the Father are one.

Again, we are not seeking to explore the depths of the Trinity nor are we attempting to focus on the divinity of Christ. However, we can note that Jesus’ relationship with God the Father was one of perfect intimacy.

It is reasonable to assume that Jesus’ ability to speak on God’s behalf was the result of His intimate life with the Father. This intimacy gave Him perfect insight into the Father’s thoughts, plans, purposes, and the very words the Father would have spoken.

It is reasonable to surmise that Jesus knew the manner and tone in which those words were to be spoken, specific to each and every situation, specific to every recipient and their life setting. 

Jesus knew what to say, when to say it, and even how. Jesus' unique ability to speak for the Father was directly related to His intimate relationship with the Father. 

We are arguing that effective leaders develop Word discipline geared toward growing in the ability to communicate the Word of God.

This kind of discipline is rooted in the leader’s intimacy with God. The development of Word disciplines is not simply a “supernatural” gift but rooted in knowing God and having a vibrant and growing relationship with Him. 

Lessons from Kazakhstan and the Power of Sharing God's Word

Many years ago, I was concluding a children’s workers conference in Kazakhstan.

We were teaching some important elements of our biblical vision for transformational children’s ministry as we looked for church leaders who were drawn to that and would be interested in helping start a ministry in Kazakhstan.

I noticed one children’s worker who had sat in the front row furiously taking notes during every seminar and every message that was delivered. She was one of the most enthusiastic participants and I knew she must have been a great children’s worker in her church. 

Before the last session, Viktor, the conference organizer, told me to come with a packed suitcase because time would be short, and I would need to leave quickly for the airport. When the final session concluded, Viktor was at my side with my suitcase in hand ready to go.

Before he could whisk me off, Olga stepped up and said she had a question. She told me that she had a thirteen-year-old son and she had not shared the message of salvation with him.

After five days my Russian was on the rise and before Viktor could translate, I responded, “It’s never too late to share the gospel no matter what the age.” I spoke with assurance in my best pastoral tone.

She started to cry and blurted out, “You don’t understand! He died.” In that moment I went from the peak of pastoral confidence to the valley of despair. She was weeping and tears came to my eyes. I had to say something, but I was speechless.

After an awkward pause, I prayed a “jet prayer.” I asked God, “Please LORD, tell me what to say.” In a moment that I cannot describe, the words just flowed out. “Olga, God is a loving God who loves your son more than anyone. He is a good God, filled with goodness. You can trust the life of your son in His hands.”  I took her hand and prayed for her and her family. 

Driving to the airport, I reflected on the truth that God had provided and knew that it had comforted Olga. The words spoken were consistent with teaching in Scripture and woven together with love and compassion that brought some relief to Olga’s pain. I was in awe of God and His Word. 

The kind of dramatic experience I had with Olga has been infrequent for me. However, I have sought to be a Christian leader who is always looking for God to give me His Word for another. 

Much more common has been my experience in communicating the meaning of God’s Word as found in Scripture. 

And so next week we will turn to a leader committed to studying the Scriptures and communicating their meaning on behalf of God. This particular “Word Discipline” was bedrock in the ministry of the Apostle Paul, the focus of next week’s blog. 

My blog will be posted the same time every week and I hope you can join us next week. The podcast version is available here!