15-5

The Little Leader

Nobody likes to come in 2nd or 3rd, after all, 2nd place is the 1st loser right? We all want to win, to be 1st! Its part of human nature, but its a part that we need to learn to set aside when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. John the Baptist got it. "'Behold!' John cried. 'There's the One we've all been waiting for!' Every head turned to look at Jesus Christ, the eyes of an entire crowd now riveted on one man. But scan the crowd and see if you can find John. Just a sentence ago all eyes were on him. All the attention was his. People hung on his every word. Now he was out of the spotlight, just another face in the crowd with his eyes glued on Jesus. And John seems so content-and even genuinely thrilled-to point people away from himself to one he believed was greater. As the crowd locked its gaze on the Christ, he continued, 'This is the One I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.'"

That is an amazing statement. First of all it takes a little thought to decode it. Jesus came after John on this earth, but in a greater sense He came before John because He is I AM, and has been since the beginning! John was a little leader. "Like John, all little leaders know who comes first in the story. When they do accomplish great things or taste success, they do so with the realization that God had been on the scene for a long, long time, and that He is the source of their vision, gifting, opportunity, creativity, energy, and breath. (No matter where we finish among men, Christ already has a permanent hold on first place.) That's why John was never happier than the day all eyes turned to Jesus.

When I say John was a little leader, "I don't mean he was small in stature or vision or courage, or short on influence. Just that John knew who he wasn't and who HE is. THere's something pretty powerful about knowing who you are-and knowing who you're not. Because John knew his name was i am not, he was free from the seduction of fame, the tyranny of comparison, the delusional current of self-deception, the never-ending scramble to the top of the heap, ego, jealousy, backbiting, and a massively swollen head. And he was free from the ultimate rip-off-holding onto the starring role in a tiny story that was quickly vanishing from view."

In the days and weeks that followed, Jesus' ministry really took off. It got so big that it was making John's disciples jealous. They would complain and they wanted John and Jesus to have a showdown to see who was the best, but John already knew. One day John's disciples were trying to convince him that he should take Jesus on, "And then John uttered the words that pierce the flesh but free the soul: 'He must become greater; I must become less.'" Just think on that for a minute. What could you accomplish in your ministry if that were the theme? "He must become greater, and I must become less."

When we can say that and mean it, our ego and our desires get pushed to the side, and Christ can be glorified. Until we become little leaders, we cannot glorify Christ, we will only glorify ourselves. Until we become little leaders, we are clinging to the starring roles in the tiny stories of us. "In John's mind he wasn't losing his people to a bigger ministry. He was just doing what he came to do-holding wide the door for the arrival of heaven's King." That is what ministry is about. It's not about numbers, it's not about making the most people happy, it's not about making a name for yourself. It's about becoming a little leader and holding the door wide for heaven's King. Are you ready?

Enjoy the Journey