Prepare a Table That Welcomes Everyone

To the shock of everyone, Jesus was inviting himself to the table of a known sinner (Luke 19:1-10). The people who heard this must have been shocked and angry that Jesus would do this. 

Sometimes leaders in a revitalization effort upset others within the established church when all they are trying to do is serve like Jesus. So, should a leader give up leading and living like Jesus because others don’t like what is happening around them? The church needs leaders to speak up and step out of the comfortable to serve the uncomfortable. 

Jesus was willing to place himself in an uncomfortable environment to help someone in need, not because it was easy, but because it was the right thing to do as a leader. In a way, Jesus was preparing the table for future conversations that could lead to a complete conversion. 

If you want to lead like Jesus and serve others in need, then you must prepare a table that welcomes everyone. Leadership is about having hard conversations to find common ground in a season of disagreement.  

Be Prayerful

How is your prayer life? As a leader, you might have asked someone in your church that question yourself. But really, how is your prayer life? Without a healthy spiritual walk, you will walk into a storm that will not be easy. Jesus invited himself to Zacchaeus’ house not because Zacchaeus was the most popular man in town but because he was a man who needed Jesus. Look around your table today and see if a sinner sits among you. If not, why?

Begin to pray like Jesus that God would guide you to people who make you uncomfortable but need Jesus. A godly leader is willing to take on the arrows from the Pharisees of the church to reach the lost. As you battle (and surely will battle) to reach people who are “different,” you will have to navigate the spiritual minefield with love, grace, and humility that will come through a strong prayer life grounded in scripture.

Be Patient

Leading like Jesus is not for the faint of heart. You must have experienced that already in your ministry. A lot of times, the church is messy. When you serve in the martialized areas, you get dirty, making church folks nervous. Sometimes when you try to help a sinner, the church pushes back against its leader. Other times it’s because you’re not patient as a leader, and you rush things, making mistakes that could cost you your ministry and leadership respectability. 

Everyone wants you to win the lost. But at what cost? The cost of your marriage, ministry, more mission endeavors for God? Embrace God and cling to his ways; he will make your way straight in how you should handle working with others who have fallen. Be patient with yourself and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you venture into the sinful world around you.

Be Direct

The Word of God is accurate. All 66 books and the teachings found within the chapters. Do not allow your flesh to get ahead of your faith. Stay directed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and let God lead you as you embark on your journey of being Jesus to a lost and hurting world. When sinful nature pushes against your biblical values, push back and claim the mantle of Christ. But let’s caution you that it should be done in love and with grace. 

Remember these Jesus principles of leadership; you can be direct and caring simultaneously. You can value the person over the sin. You can help direct their path by being Christ, staying faithful to the Word, and leading the other person’s words and actions through a godly example. In essence, you can be a positive force of biblical change if you are willing to lead.

Be Kind

When you encounter someone that is living in sin, please be kind. It seems so simple to say, but sadly it is not being lived out by many in leadership today. Words matter. Actions matter. And as a leader, you represent more than just the title of the pastor; you represent a global church. You represent Jesus. 

As Jesus walked into Zacchaeus’s home, he knew what he needed to do. Show love by being love to a sinful, fallen man. Through honest but loving conversations, Zacchaeus began to see the error of his ways. Stop and think for a moment. What would have happened if Jesus had barked orders instead of extending love? What would have happened if he judged instead of shown love? 

How often have you seen or experienced a leader you valued hurt you by what they said? Words matter. You know the pattern. Love, then words and actions are the keys to winning the lost and redeeming them for the kingdom of God.

Desmond Barrett
Desmond Barrett
Desmond Barrett is the lead pastor at Winter Haven First Church of the Nazarene in Winter Haven, Florida. He is the author of several books and most recently the co-author with Charlotte P. Holter of Missional Reset: Capturing the Heart for Local Missions in the Established Church (Resource Publications) and has done extensive research in the area of church revitalization and serves as church revitalizer, consultant, coach, podcast host and mentor to revitalizing pastors and churches.

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