Giving Away Leadership
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Luke 10:1-2
Twelve men had now grown to 72. The men Jesus trained were now thrust out into the streets as “lambs among wolves” (Luke 10:1-5). Jesus sent these men out to preach the gospel, heal the sick and change the world. His words to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” “Now go!”
I can imagine the emotions that filled the hearts of these newly commissioned disciples. They probably experienced a mixture of fear, excitement, wonder, and joy. Obediently, they stepped out in faith to share the good news of the gospel. Jesus gave them the leadership of His new movement. Incredible!
I find it absolutely amazing how Jesus placed so much confidence in these simple, uneducated tradesmen. He didn’t wait until they had a rock solid theological training. He didn’t demand they serve with him for several years before He sent them out. He wasn’t looking for perfect men and women. He was looking for obedient, trusting ones.
He said to go, so they went.
Jesus trusted them knowing all the gaps in their character and theology. He knew they would make mistakes. He knew they would hit obstacles way beyond their wisdom or experience. But He sent them anyway. He trusted them with the greatest mission on earth: making disciples of every nation.
We can learn great lessons from Jesus’ example in our Scripture passage today. Our job is not to hold onto ministry opportunities or leadership positions. Our role is go give leadership away.
The most helpful thing we can do to build the kingdom is to give ministry away to those around us who keep showing up. Character is important. Theology is critical. But perfection is not a prerequisite for leadership in Jesus’ church. I am thankful for this.
One of our basic philosophies in the Vineyard movement worldwide is the phrase, “Everyone gets to play.” John Wimber, the Father of our movement, used this philosophy in everything that he did. He didn’t do all the healing ministry himself. He trained thousands of believers so they could heal the sick. Every time he went around the world to do ministry, he brought along a younger leader and gave them significant responsibility right from the front.
I love this part of the Vineyard. We don’t promote big important people to do the ministry. We try to make things easier for everyone to do the things that Jesus did. Everyone should get to “Do the Stuff” that Jesus did: healing the sick, preaching the gospel, feeding the poor, caring for the broken.
If you are a leader today, take a moment to think and pray about giving significant leadership to someone you know and trust. How do you know who to empower? Look for the ones around you who KEEP SHOWING UP. Those are your disciples. Don’t ask them to be Billy Graham. Love them, pray for them, equip them, and then send them out. Give leadership away.
If you are desiring to help with the harvest Jesus is seeking, find another person and go out into the harvest two by two to share the good news. Linked up with another disciple you will have less fear and more fruit. Take a step of faith-filled obedience. Freely you have received, freely give.
Every one of us were created to make a difference in this world for Christ. We can’t determine how many we will touch, but we can make ourselves available for Jesus to use us. We can say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” We can go out with confidence that He said He would be with us wherever we went with the gospel (Math 28:18-20).
We are living in exciting days. Let’s determine today to give away everything we can to others, so they can go farther than we ever did. Give and it will be given to you. The world will never be the same.