Transformational Leadership: 4 ideas to help you be a better leader | Mark 11:12-14
Timestamp
00:00 - Livestream starts & Introduction
08:00 - Message: Transformational Leadership: 4 ideas to help you be a better leader
08:00 - Introduction - You are a Leader.
09:56 - Who do you think about when you think about Transformational Leadership?
13:05 - How to Lead idea 1: Find your Central Perks. Remember, it is hard to lead on empty so we need a place with friends that can support us.
18:26 - How to Lead idea 2: Remember, it is OK to be human. We don’t need to be superhuman or something that we are not.
(20:00) Why does it matter that Jesus was human and divine?
(21:50) What has this got to do with transformational leadership?
24:10 - How to Lead idea 3: Research. Research leads to understanding. And understanding is essential for transformational leadership.
(24:52) Why did Jesus curse the Fig Tree?
29:25 - How to Lead idea 4: Master Motivational Speech. Motivational speech is making sure that your speech - what you say - is true, and making sure that your character is in line with what you say. Make sure that what you say, and your character are consistent to each other.
39:31 - Worship: Graves into Gardens
46:48 - Catch Up
52:00 - Notices & Close
You are a leader
OK, we are going to talk about leadership. You can tell that from the title. And we are going to Jazz it up and talk about transformational leadership. Posh, eh?! You may be thinking, well hang on Matt, “I’m not a Leader”. But if you are thinking that. Then I would say, with all due respect, you are wrong!
I think that we are all leaders. You don’t have to be a CEO, run your own company, pastor a church or head up an elite force or crack commandos to be a leader. I appreciate the irony of me saying that as I am actually a CEO, run my own company, pastor this online church and head up an elite force - yup, I have an amazing team working with me! But you will have a different place to lead. You don’t have to be a certain age, gender or race to be a leader. You are a leader, right where you are in life. And the world needs you to step up and lead. No pressure - but we are all depending on you to do just that!
Transformational Leadership
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about how any change has to start with leadership, and this is the idea of transformational leadership - leadership that brings about change, good change.
What do you think about when you hear this phrase, Transformational Leadership? More importantly - who do you think about?
Jesus the transformational Leader
For me, I immediately think of Jesus. Now that should come as no surprise given that this is an online church, right? But even if you are not a Christian, you have to admit that Jesus started and lead a movement that transformed the world like nobody else in History.
So today, we are going to get into one of Jesus’ more unorthodox leadership lessons that’s for sure.
Now to give you context if this is your first time with us, we are working our way through Mark’s Gospel - which is a book from the Bible that chronicles the life of Jesus. The story is now in a phase called Passion week. It is the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion - where the whole chapter of this part of Jesus’ life culminates.
So let’s read the next part of the story,
“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.””
Now at first glance, you may think this is a short part of the story, not really sure what is happening. It might even feel a bit odd as Jesus is talking to trees, right? But as we get into this we will see 4 ideas to help you and me be a better leader from Jesus that will help us as we lead at work, as we lead in the family, as we lead at church and as we lead in life.
How to Lead idea #1: Find your Central Perks
In the TV show friends, still one of the most popular TV shows 25 years later, we would often find our protagonists in the coffee shop called Central Perks. Here they would be with friends, debrief, be encouraged, challenged, and just do life.
And that’s what Central Perks is - it’s a place we recharge with people. You could, in fact, argue that there were two of these places in friends - the first being the coffee shop but the second being Monica’s apartment. The same thing would happen in the apartment. They would just be with friends. They could debrief and catch up. They could be supported and just be themselves.
I don’t see that in coffee shops these days. I see people with headphones and their faces stuck in a laptop.
So what has this got to do with our passage? Well, let’s read it:
“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany...”
Bethany is a really interesting place when you dig into it: who lived there and what Jesus did there. Bethany was a village in Judea - about two miles east of Jerusalem at the time. It was the hometown of a family that are good friends with Jesus. They were called Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In fact, it was in Bethany that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.
But it is also the place where Jesus stayed overnight during this Passion Week - the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He didn’t stay in Jerusalem itself, he made the journey to Bethany.
It was familiar. It was with friends. And that was needed as this week would be a very hard week for Jesus. And this is important.
Where is our Central Perks?
Where is our Bethany?
Where do we go and hang out with people that care for us?
Honestly - this is one of the reasons that I find Church so refreshing and recharging. I get to be with people that care for me. Church is one of my Central Perks.
My home is a Central Perks. And I like my home to be a busy place. I like the fact that people come round and just hang out and drink my coffee.
You know, I used to travel a fair bit before the Lockdown. And whenever I travel, I always prefer to stay with friends than stay in a hotel. Even at the end of a busy day, there is something quite refreshing about coming back to a place where I know people and where I can kick back with them.
So where is your Central Perks? Where is your Bethany?
I think to be an effective leader, we need a Central Perks, a Bethany, a place with friends that can support us.
But why is that?
Well, let’s take this idea of transformational leadership. To bring about transformation and change, it helps if we as the leader have something to give. It’s hard to lead on empty. It’s almost impossible to bring transformation on empty. So we need to be recharged and refreshed, we need to have something to give and one of the keys to doing that is to have your Central Perks.
If you are living by yourself, this idea is especially important because it is easy to go weeks without really engaging with people as COVID has shown us. Find your Central Perks, wherever you go. Even if, like for Jesus, it was just for a short time.
How to lead idea #2: It is OK that you are human
This is an interesting idea, isn’t it? One of the understated parts of today’s passage but is absolutely critical to understanding Jesus and who he is, is this:
“Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, HE WAS HUNGRY.”
When you read it - you just pass this idea buy. But Jesus was hungry. Think about that. A central tenant to the Christian faith is this idea that Jesus was 100% God, but He is also 100% man. It’s a fascinating tension that we hold - the humanity of Christ. And we see that here. We see He is human. He is hungry.
This leads me to ask a number of questions:
Why does it matter that Jesus was human and divine?
What has this got to do with transformational leadership?
So let’s deal with the first question as it will help us answer the second.
Why does it matter that Jesus was human and divine?
Let me start this answer by giving the usual clause stating that there is no way I can do this question justice in just a couple of minutes, so I am going to focus in on one idea of the humanity of Jesus that will help us.
Jesus was the Son of God. I am convinced of that. But he was not immune to things like splinters - I am sure that He got plenty when He worked as a carpenter. His muscles got sore, He knew what it was to be tired. I am sure that He had to contend with Sunburn too. This leads us into this idea that His life would be lived as a man with all the struggles and temptations that we all have.
And there is grace in that.
Because as we lead, we are going to fail. We are going to do stupid things. It’s part of what it means to be human. Leaders are not some kind of breed of super people. We will mess it up, make crazy decisions, we will be selfish, say the wrong thing, offend people, loose friendships and forget important events. I’ve done all of them.
I’m only human.
What has this got to do with transformational leadership?
The good news is that I don’t have to try and be someone or something that I am not. I don’t have to get a qualification or some special status in life. No, I just need to serve people because that’s what transformational leadership is.
The good news is when I do mess up, there is grace there. There is forgiveness there. There is the strength of God there to lead me and guide so hopefully tomorrow is more righteous than yesterday.
God made provision for my humanity by becoming human Himself. It’s the most extraordinary truth of Christianity. The Bible, talking about Jesus says
“(Jesus is not) out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give.”
We were never meant to do this without Him. We were never meant to do this alone. We fundamentally cannot do this without His mercy and help. But that is the gospel. That is good news today. He extends His mercy and help. He knows about our humanity. He knows we will mess it up, say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing and act the wrong way. But, incredibly, in spite of my humanity, I can walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give.
Let’s do that. Let’s take mercy and accept the help that He gives. This is the second idea that leads to transformational leadership.
How to lead idea # 3: Research
You know what, I talk all the time about research to those looking to start a business. It's the first step of everything that we teach and bring to people. But it is the one thing that people don’t spend the time really doing. And you know what, it is one of the key reasons businesses fail.
But this idea of research doesn’t just apply to starting your own business. It applies all over the place, including this message.
Let me show you what I mean.
If you type into Google the phrase “Why did Jesus...” - what would think the most common questions are? The first is, “Why did Jesus die?” OK. I think I could have predicted that. What I wouldn’t have predicted though is the second most popular question, “Why did Jesus Curse the Fig Tree?” It’s a more popular question than, “Why did Jesus speak in parables?”
In other words, this seemingly small but slightly odd few verses in the Bible has resulted in a lot of questions for people online. And I would never have known that without spending the time to do the research.
So why is research important? Because it leads to understanding. And understanding is essential for transformational leadership.
It’s as simple as that.
So, before we move on - let’s have a look at this question:
Why did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Was Jesus just flipping out here? Why didn't Jesus know there would be fruit on the tree? Is it fair to curse a true when it isn’t bearing fruit when it is out of season? There are so many questions that come up when you think about what happens in this verse.
Like all things in the Bible, the key to understanding this passage comes from researching the context in which it happens. Because through research we can get understanding...see what I did there?!
The first place to look is the disciples. What did they think about this idea of Jesus cursing the fig tree? Well, they understood one key thing that 99% of us in the modern west don’t know - and that is the importance of the fig tree as it relates to the nation of Israel. They understood how the fig tree was often used in the Old Testament to symbolically represent Israel.
Another thing we have to bear in mind is what happened the day before, and in some respects what will happen later - what Jack is going to look at next week. If you didn't see last week’s Livestream where John Harding talked about the preceding event called the Triumphal Entry then you can catch up online - but in a nutshell, Jesus has entered Jerusalem amid great fanfare and celebrations. But next week Jesus will effectively denounce Israel’s worship of God... in other words, Israel gave the appearance of being fruitful but it really wasn’t being.
Just like this fig tree.
And the fig tree represents Israel. And the disciples knew it. It was
We’ve all met those kinds of people. We even have a word we use to describe them, hypocrites. How can someone call themselves a Christian and yet fleece people of all their money? How can someone claim to love God yet speak nothing but anger and bitterness all day? The two things don’t match up.
And that is the lesson of the Fig Tree.
And I would have known this without spending the time to research what is happening. So How to lead idea #3: Research. But this lesson of the fig tree also leads us nicely into the next idea of transformational leadership:
How to lead idea #4: Motivational Speech.
What do you think about when you hear the phrase ‘motivational speech’? In my mind, I see a guy pacing up and down the stage bellowing out all kinds of cliched sayings as he sweats through his expensive suit. I see the audience getting hyped up. But what I don’t see is real, lasting, transformational change.
So when I talk about Motivation Speech - I am not talking about hyping up your team. I am not talking about the “dream-big-and-your-life-will-magically-become-that-and-more” lie that is so often sold to us in motivational speeches. We’ve all heard them, right? Maybe they even made us feel good, excited and pumped up.
So if we take the hype out of it - what we are left with is something really quite simple. Motivational speech inspires transformational change.
So what is a motivational speech?
What really motivates people is truth. Motivational speech is making sure that your speech - what you say - is true, and making sure that your character is in line with what you say. Make sure that what you say, and your character are consistent with each other.
This, for me, is so important if we want to be transformational leaders.
Think about it for just a second. Think about people that don’t meet these criteria. People who are full of hot air, people that say one thing and then do another, people who we call hypocrites. It’s not hard to think of people like that.
The church is full of them. We all know it to be true. But so is every other religion and so is atheism. That's not an excuse for the church but the world is full of people like this. The political world is rife with broken promises couple with inconsistent actions despite what they said in their ‘motivational speech’ to get my vote.
Saying is one thing.
Delivering is another.
If our words and our character are inconsistent, as was the case with the Israelites at the time of Jesus, and as is the case with a lot of Christians, then that inconsistency will cause what you do to eventually wither and die from the roots - just like our fig tree. Sure, for a season, it can have the appearance of being good, but eventually, it will eat itself up.
And that’s the lesson of Jesus cursing the fig tree.
What is your character like?
Want to know what your character is actually like? My top tip is to ask people that have known you for a long time. And ask people that have walked through the fire with you a little bit. Because it is when we are in those hard and difficult places that our character really shines through.
“The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.”
Your character is your long term investment. It is your retirement, it is your pension, it is your savings account.
So transformational leadership requires you to be a motivational speaker: to make sure your speech and your character are consistent with each other. And this idea of motivation speech is important - but for now, we are going to put a pin in it, and we are going to pick it up again in 2 weeks time as we will, in effect, have part two of this story - Fig Tree, the Sequel, if you like!
Summary
We started off with the idea that You are a leader, and more specifically - you are a transformational leader: as John talked about last week, someone called by God to extend God’s kingdom - to bring about positive change in this world. The world needs you to lead right where you are at, so crack on with it!
We then looked at this passage with the Fig Tree and saw 4 ideas that help us become a better leader:
Find your Central Perks. Remember, it is hard to lead on empty so we need a place with friends that can support us.
Remember, it is OK to be human. We don’t need to be superhuman or something that we are not. We are going to mess it up. So remember the scripture in Hebrews that tells us that Jesus has been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.
Research. Research leads to understanding. And understanding is essential for transformational leadership.
Master Motivational Speech. Motivational speech is making sure that your speech - what you say - is true, and making sure that your character is in line with what you say. Make sure that what you say, and your character are consistent with each other.
Hey, listen, I would absolutely love to know what your biggest takeaway from this story is. Write it in the comments below the video. It would be great to hear from you, and you know what else? You are more likely to remember that takeaway if you write it down! So put it in the comments, write it in your journal - but definitely do write it down!
God bless you, I pray for you that God would help you become a better leader, that you would help bring about positive change in this world, build His kingdom and live your best life.