Leadership in Context

Jesus makes it very clear that what He is talking about in Mark 13 are things that have already happened; they are not prophetic words about what will happen in the end times. Don’t fall victim to seeking a political messiah. The Church and the gospel message are the hub. Politics, art, law, economics, and education are the spokes.

Whose image is impressed upon you? That is who you owe a debt to. That is who you ultimately serve. You were made in the image of God. 

What Jesus did in the temple was a premeditated plan. He wanted His last picture of the temple to be a cleansed temple. He still wants to cleanse the temple, starting with us.

In Mark 10, the Pharisees ask Jesus about marriage and divorce. They were not asking a theological question, but a political question. Jesus didn’t run away from that political question. He answered it with Scripture and got to the root of the matter.

God doesn’t chastise you for having spiritual ambition. He wants those ambitions to be sanctified so that they are not about you, but about Him. God is looking for some self-starting, self-governing people who are teachable and will respond to the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus walked the earth, He considered everything going on. Even Him using spit to heal a blind man was intentional. Everything Jesus did was not just for the moment, healing a blind man or feeding the five thousand; it was also a bigger picture of WHO He was.

If we aren’t careful, we can hold traditions in our hearts as equal as the Word of God. You can only hold one thing as your authority. Don’t fall prey to holding people in religious bondage by traditions, as the Pharisees did.

An offense doesn’t stay with just the person who was offended. It puts a stumbling block in front of other people and diminishes the ministry and calling of someone else. As leaders, we need to walk free of offense and help deliver people from their offenses.

If you want to get the Lord’s attention, latch onto the promise of God. Get a specific promise and fight through the obstacles and disappointments. Hold on and don’t let go. 

For every godly person who is going to make a difference, there comes a time when God invades, disrupts, upsets, and causes them to be so passionate about what God is calling them to do that to those around them who are mere spectators (and not seeking to follow), it appears unreasonable. That same Spirit draws many of us in, for we are seeking the Spirit of God that is moving that person and we want to follow Jesus. We follow them out to the ledge where we jump into the arms of God, casting all our cares upon Him.