John the Baptist: Leaving a Legacy
Issue #184, June 29, 2016 John the Baptist’s life has challenged us in many ways. His commitment, sacrifice, humility boldness and suffering all serve as examples to servant leaders. We would expect a glorious ending to a leader like this but John’s life ends differently. “The king was greatly distressed, but …he immediately sent an […]
John the Baptist: Suffering with Purpose
Issue #183, June 15, 2016 We all love stories of victory and triumph, when truth wins and justice triumphs. But life and leadership do not always end this way, and John’s leadership certainly did not. His life ended with pain and suffering when Herod threw him into prison after John rebuked the king for his […]
John the Baptist: Dealing with Doubt
Issue #182, June 1, 2016 We don’t expect strong leaders to have doubts. We expect them to have answers and great faith. But John the Baptist, the greatest prophet up to that time, had a period in which he wrestled with his faith in Jesus. John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two […]
John the Baptist: Quiet Influence
Issue #181, May 18, 2016 John the Baptist, if he were leading today, would not likely win any awards for success. His leadership did not last long, many of his key leaders left him to follow another, and the crowds at his events were declining when he was arrested and finally killed. But Jesus said […]
John the Baptist: Bold Confrontation
Issue #180, May 4, 2016 The humility of John the Baptist didn’t mean that he was quiet! Instead, he was able to boldly confront wrong. It didn’t matter if he was talking to kings, religious leaders, soldiers or farmers. He spoke the truth with power and confronted wrong. But when he saw many of the […]
John the Baptist: Increasing Humility
Issue #179, April 20, 2016 John was a great leader and highly esteemed not only by his followers but by Jesus Himself. But his greatness was marked by increasing humility. He was able to humbly release his disciples, humbly point people to Jesus, and finally lay down his own life for the cause. His humility […]
John the Baptist: Releasing Leaders
Issue #178, April 6, 2016 John the Baptist did a great job of calling and empowering a team around him. But his true greatness as a servant leader is found in the way he released leaders. Many leaders are able to raise teams; few are willing to release them! But John released his team. The […]
John the Baptist: Raising Leaders
Issue #177, March 23, 2016 We usually think of John the Baptist as a prophet and preacher, raising his voice alone in the desert. But an integral part of his ministry was identifying and raising leaders around him. Although we don’t have much information about John’s disciples, a careful reading of his story shows that […]
John the Baptist: Communicating for a Change
Issue #176, March 9, 2016 John is well known for baptisms. But it was the message he communicated that actually produced change in people’s lives. His message produced the baptisms. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John said to the crowds coming […]
John the Baptist: Clarifying His Identity
Issue #175, February 24, 2016 The first recorded words of John the Baptist focus on his identity. The Jews sent people to ask John who he was. They thought perhaps he was the Messiah for whom they were waiting with expectation. But John quickly said he was not the Christ, Elijah or the prophet. They […]