OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-MONDAY-09/05/2016-JESUS FOLLOWER?-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
JESUS FOLLOWER?
Memorise
Be
ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 1st Corinthians
11:1
Read
Philippians 3:17-21,
17 Brethren, be followers
together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
18 (For
many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that
they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
19 Whose
end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their
shame, who mind earthly things.)
20 For
our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who
shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things
unto himself.
KJV
MESSAGE
A brief look at many contemporary Christian
leadership books seem to be confusing the followers of Jesus with a perceived
strategy to shape future leaders of the church, as though Church leaders are in
a special category. It should be noted that all followers of Jesus are called
to a life of discipleship.
It is not exactly correct to interpret the
relationship of Jesus with His disciples as an effort to develop a leadership
training school for the future movement. The Bible is very clear on the fact
that the focus of Jesus was first of all, the renewal of Israel, the
establishment of the kingdom of God, and the transformation of lives through
healing, deliverance, miracles, signs, and wonders, witnessed by the people. It
is obvious that the function of the disciples within the Gospel narratives is
not their exemplary leadership, but their role as models who braved the
struggles that all followers of Jesus are destined to face. The disciples
humanity, world view, character, and lifestyle, were openly displayed as an
example for future disciples to follow. Jesus in Mark 8:34-35 says:
“And when he had called the people unto him with his
disciples also, he said unto them, whosoever will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s,
the same shall save it.”
In one of Jesus’ popular sayings, he said to
His disciples, “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give
his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This verse address issues of
power, authority, and human dignity. Though all these are central to any
discussion of leadership but the power of the text is in how it undermines notions
of greatness and how a leader must use power on behalf of all members of the
community. The modern teachings on Christian leadership have been redefined to
mean that the servant and followers (present day Christians) have become
greater than their masters and leaders (Jesus Christ). In response to this,
Matthew 10:24 says:
“The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant
above his lord.”
All
Christians must realize that a disciple cannot be above his master as a servant
cannot be above his Lord. To be a Christian is to imbibe the discipline and
humility of a servant. In addition to this important prerequisite for
discipleship we might add the attributes of humility, gentleness, justice, and
love. These were the contents for the discipleship training that Jesus gave to
His disciples. Subsequently, deacons, elders, overseer/bishops, and believers
are all expected to live out in very tangible ways, the lifestyle that honours
God and is exemplary for the people of God. Followers of Jesus are to adopt
this attitude toward life in general. The lifestyle of a Christian should be
clearly different and morally superior to that of the world. The concept of
Jesus on Christian leadership is firmly built on follower-ship, service,
humility, obedience, and loyalty. If you want to follow Jesus acceptably, you
must align your views on leadership to incorporate the ideals of Jesus Christ.
Prayer Point
Father, please help me to
pay the price of leadership. Help me to imbibe the ideals of Master Jesus.
Bible in one year
2nd Kings
6:24-8:24, Proverbs 21:30-22:12
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