Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Makes A Good Leader? | New Testament | Luke 22

Episode Date: April 18, 2023

What qualities add up to a good leader? Which of those qualities do you have? Which do you need? In today's episode, Tanya looks at Luke 22 to explain the importance of leading with humility and compassion. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Luke 22

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Tanya Wilmuth. You know that feeling you get when you have an idea to start doing something new? Something that makes things better, something that helps people. It's hard to explain, but there's an excitement that the Holy Spirit gives a believer to lead people toward Gospels Center conversations and communities. And when this happens, some of us have more ideas and initiative than common sense.

This is one of the reasons I love Peter. He was a great leader. Or he eventually was a great leader. On one hand, he had an initiative. He just did things. On the other hand, he had more confidence than ability, more gumption than reasoning. Peter got himself into more trouble with his words and his sword than any of the other disciples. He also got more rebukes from Jesus than any of the other disciples.

But Peter became the great leader of the early church, the rock, if you will. How did this happen? What can we learn from Scripture about our own leadership and the ways we can continue to grow into our purpose? Luke introduced us to Peter a few chapters ago. In Luke 614, he's described as Simon, who Jesus also named Peter. Unlike when Abrams name was changed to Abraham, Peter didn't get a new name, but he got another name. Simon was common. There were several Simons listed in the Gospels, but Jesus gave him the name Peter translated Cephas, which means rock.

And the interesting thing is that sometimes just called him Simon, sometimes Simon Peter, sometimes just Peter. But Peter, Rock, is the name he's growing into. The first time somebody called me, mom, I looked behind me waiting for a real mom to step forward. Due to an incredible surge in babies born that day, August, I don't know what we were thinking. I was wheeled out of labor and delivery into a shared room with another woman, and we were both there waiting for our babies to come back from the nursery. When a nurse walked through the door, mom, here he is.

I looked at the baby, I looked at her, I looked at me, mom, who? Me? Now I can tell you, as can every other mom in the entire world, that if I hear the word mom within a 25-foot radius, I assume the role, whether it's an actual child of mine or a soul I've never met in my life. I didn't just grow into the name. The name grew into me. Now, all four Gospels give us a list of the 12 apostles, and the first name in all the list is Peter. He stands out. as the mouthpiece, the head of the 12. But he's also the leader of the more intimate circle that included Peter, Andrew, James, and John. The 12 were a diverse group of occupations and personalities.

I mean, who would pick fishermen and tax collectors to work on a group project together? It sounds like high school, doesn't it? But Peter's smaller group had a lot more in common. They were all fishermen. They came from the same place. They had probably been friends for a long time. That Peter could lead both groups tells us something, about who he was, a natural leader who needed a lot of work.

In today's chapter, Luke 22, the disciples have just been having an argument about which one is the greatest. Jesus turns to Peter and says, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Now, there are a lot of ways Peter could have responded to these words from Jesus. The first being, thank you, Jesus, for protecting me. Followed by, what do you mean about strengthening my brothers? Will you help me?

But not Peter. He didn't see the warning or the love in Jesus' statement at all, at least not yet. Peter turned and said to Jesus, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. And Jesus said something you might be very familiar with. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this, day until you deny three times that you know me. You know, Peter is acting more like his old self and less like a rock.

By nature, he was making brash promises like the ones you've heard here. But Jesus, calling him Peter, even when describing the way he would deny him, affirms that he will grow into the shoes that his later life will fill. Now, scripture moves fast here, but so do the events of the day. And it was just a short time after Peter made this promise that he would be with Jesus in prison and in death, that Jesus was seized and taken to the high priest house for trial. Now, we might know this story and already know that Peter is going to blow it, but do we also know that Peter was one of the only two disciples that actually were brave enough to even follow Jesus

at all, knowing that their dialect and clothing would make them stand out when they got to the high priest house. But following at a distance anyway and sitting down at a fire a little way from the action, but close enough to see and hear Jesus. Peter was the only one close enough to see Jesus' eyes turn and look toward him when the girl at the fire called him out and said, Hey, I saw you with Jesus earlier when he denied knowing Jesus, not only once, but repeatedly. Peter had some of the qualities of a great leader, but he still had so much to learn. Peter had much to offer, but the real training was in God's hands. The character qualities Peter learned through this intimacy with Christ made him into the rock

of a leader he would become. What about you? What qualities about you make you a natural leader? What qualities did you have to learn? Which ones do you need to learn? I think the list for Peter might surprise anyone if we listed them at the top of our resume today. But these are the authentic qualities that surpass charisma and talent and make real change and

bring real light to our communities. First, Peter had to learn forgiveness. For one whose last glimpse of Jesus before the crucifixion was synonymous with the reality of his failure, Peter had to learn that he was forgiven so he could lead others to the source of forgiveness. After the resurrection, at another fire, Jesus affirmed his love for Peter three times, the same number of times Peter denied Jesus before he went to the cross. This was a perfect affirmation of his complete forgiveness. Second, Peter had to learn humility. Peter was the disciple that said, not my feet when Jesus knelt to wash the disciples,

not recognizing his own need for a savior. Leaders are usually tempted by pride because there are people who follow them, praise them, look up to them. It's easy to be filled with confidence about their intellect and ability. But the Lord used rebuke and personal failure to shape Peter into humility.

Third, Peter had to learn love. Most Bible scholars agree that when Jesus looked at Peter by the fire denying him, it wasn't a look of condemnation or shame, but a look of love. Peter watched Jesus do what no one else would do. Wash his feet, love him in his worst moment, and go to the cross for him. Peter learned from Jesus how to love and wrote in his first epistle, 1 Peter 4.8,

above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. And fourth, Peter had to learn compassion. When Jesus warned Peter about upcoming temptation, Peter insisted that he would never stumble. But before the day was over, he fell on his face. Jesus was equipping Peter to equip his future church. And Peter needed to learn compassion for other people's weaknesses. What about you? Have you grown in humility, in love, in compassion?

Have you learned that you more than anyone need God's forgiveness? How do these characteristics line up with the way the world views leadership? How do they line up with the way you view leadership? How can you lead differently? Showing people a better king. I think each person listening has the potential to lead people in some capacity. where has God placed you to lead with the characteristics of forgiveness, humility, love, and compassion? Before you forget, sign up for the brand new TMBT newsletter.

Hit the link in the show notes and you'll get an email every Wednesday that will help you beat the midweek slump and go deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.