• born into a middle-class family with dad a government employee
• construction in the family
• family went through financial hardship
• desired success and comfort
• “When God asks you a question it is not because he doesn’t know the answer. Most of the time he wants to confront you with your foolishness.”
• “You will not find the definition of success for your ministry or organization until you help the people I sent to you to succeed.” - "The object of leadership for many leaders is their own success, but the object of Christ’s leadership was the success of His followers
• John 14:12 – for Christ the object of his leadership was not Him, it was the success of His followers
• this takes the focus off of us and on to the people. Ask, “What are their needs? What are their problems? What are their issues?”
• Selfishness is the focus of many leaders – James 4:3
• “Following you should hold the promise of life change for those who follow you.” – Mathew 4:19
• In many cultures being a leader makes you superior to the people you are leading. In such a culture leaders don’t empower others. - Mark 10:42 – Jesus is lived in such a culture
• Powerful are very powerful and powerless and are very powerless
• “The downside to power distance is that it can leave followers with low self-esteem and afraid to challenge a leader’s views.” - they tend to wait for approval before they do anything (a permission seeking culture)
• people will not give feedback to the leader
• leaders can be less accountable
• “Jesus crushed the power gap between men and women, adults and children, leaders and their followers.” - Jesus embraced the children and told adults to be like them
• Jesus healed on the Sabbath to confront the power structure
• “As leaders, we should create the Jesus type of power structures”
• Matthew 10:1 – disciples given authority and power
• “Jesus gave power away.”
• Jesus said to Peter, if I can do it you can do it to
• “There is something about leaders and talented people that makes us think others cannot do what we do.” - Numbers 11
• Shepherds feed sheep which allows sheep to give back to sheep and invite more sheep
• There is a huge opportunity in parts of the world where people are oppressed and there are power gaps. - It is not the absence of money that makes you poor. You need ideas to make money.
• There are opportunities to empower people
• “Jesus did not only crush the power gap, he overturned it”
• Luke 22:27

Originally published on stephen.braunius.org