Great post and timely in light of our discussion of Redemption's implications on how we live/lead from TheResurgence.

Live Like You're Redeemed

Charles Spurgeon

The Prince of Preachers

Bought with a Price: Click | View Series

1 Corinthians 6:19-20—"You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

He slays our sins at the cross. "You were bought with a price." Let us consider this argument, that we may find therein death for our sins.

WHAT THE REDEEMED SHOULD DO

"So glorify God in your body."

Glorify God in your body:
By cleanliness, chastity, temperance, industry, cheerfulness, self-denial, patience, etc.

Glorify God:

• In a suffering body by patience unto death.
• In a working body by holy diligence.
• In a worshipping body by bowing in prayer.
• In a well-governed body by self-denial.
• In an obedient body by doing the Lord's will with delight.

Glorify God in your spirit:
By holiness, faith, zeal, love, heavenliness, cheerfulness, fervor, humility, expectancy.

Remember, O redeemed one, that:

1. You will be closely watched by Christ's enemies.
2. You will be expected to be more gracious than others and rightly so, since you claim to be Christ's own.
3. If you are not holy, the sacred name of your Redeemer, your Proprietor, and your Indweller will be compromised.
4. But if you live a redeemed life, your God will be honored.

Let the world see what Redemption can do.

Let the world see what sort of men "God's own" are.

Adapted from Charles Spurgeon's sermon notes, which are in the public domain.

Leadership For Human Flourishing

This new model declares that as leaders we should be about redeeming the people we lead. Not redeeming in the sense of salvation; but we should be exchanging our lives to serve those we lead and in so doing bring people from what they are to what they could be (really what they were originally designed for). A Redemptive Leader will not merely look at his followers and see them as they are, but will perceive them with a vision for fulfilling their maximum potential under their leadership. Functionally, this means that we foster great working conditions, we ensure they have all they need to be successful in their jobs, we assist them in advancing in career milestones (increase in rank or qualifications), and we care about their families - truly loving them holistically, throughout the spectrum of the areas of their lives. In serving we will be redeeming the spheres of influence which God has appointed us to. The framework of this transformation is relationship; all change occurs in the context of authentic relationships. The communal aspect of Redemptive Leadership is foundational. The Redemptive Leadership model stems from the application of Biblical and Kingdom theology to existing Servant Leadership models. It is redemptive because the leader exchanges themselves for their followers. Furthermore, it is redemptive because of the exchange that is evoked in both participants as the sanctification process tears away the shackles of sin that have enamored them from living out the function for which they were formed. Do you see the transcendence inherent in this greater vision of leadership? You have not been commissioned to accomplish tasks, but to engage this broken world for Christ in existential relationships that will powerfully prosper your subordinates in the Name of Christ and for His glory. As Redemptive Leaders we should wholly strive for the flourishing of our subordinates, peers, and even seniors; and in so doing restore a fallen world to the prosperity of relationship intended prior to the Fall. Serve with agenda as Christ did and in faith, by His grace, your work will lead to many that are lost and broken being restored to the Redeemer.

To Serve w/ An Agenda

The secular world has readily adopted Servant Leadership as viable and effective, yet are we not called to something completely different than mere “value based leadership” by taking care of our people. I would assert that any theory of leadership (Servant or otherwise) is insufficient without Christ as the center. I have been pondering a new model of leadership I describe as “Redemptive Leadership” that is aligned with the premise of being flourish-focused (in the Biblical sense of the word; this will be defined and explored) as leaders. There is much hype in Christian and even secular circles of Servant Leadership based on Robert K. Greenleaf’s work culminating in the popular book of the same name. However, I am proposing that Servant Leadership is limited in scope, not fully representative of Christ-centered leading. The Bible describes the mission focus of the Lord stating, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many” (Matt. 20:28). Servant Leadership enthusiasts assert that leaders should serve without an intended organizational goal; they are completely determined to simply serve their subordinates without an expected return. Yet, I submit that Christ had an agenda in serving – to redeem His people, restoring them to all that the Father had originally created them for. Redemption is the exchange of one thing for another; Christ traded His life for those that were condemned and helpless to save themselves, and in so doing restored the fallen creation to an intimate relationship with God. I will explore the implications of His redemption on our ability and intent to lead redemptively in the coming days. Questions/comments?

Redemptive Leadership

redemption: the act, process, or an instance of redeeming; to free from what distresses or harms; to free from captivity by payment of ransom through sacrifice; to extricate from or help to overcome something detrimental; to release; to free from the consequences of sin; to change for the better; to exchange.


The Theory

Leadership is influence in relationship. There are countless theories of leadership, though many are hailing Servant Leadership as the most Biblical. If it is Biblical is it universal? If universal should it not apply to the influence military leaders have in their spheres of influence as well? With so many military ministries (and even secular institutions) now advocating Servant Leadership as the model best describing Christ-like leadership I felt compelled to contemplate what really is being advocated. After two years of academic study focused on this model I have learned that there is not one common, universally accepted definition; the spectrum of understanding when using the term spans from secular presuppositions to those with well-meaning Biblical intentions. However, I have become skeptical that no matter where it is that an individual’s worldview resides in relation to servant leadership theory their understanding of the concept is most certainly incomplete, or at a minimum insufficient. The fundamental issue stems from the failure to disassociate the means of leading from the ends of leadership. Put it another way, the problem resides in the confusion that serving others as a leader (or leading others as a servant) is the culmination, the end state and focus of the essence of leadership. I submit, that there is more based on Jesus’ statement of His primary reason for serving saying, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many” (Matt. 20:28, the Greek word lutron is translated as ransom paid to redeem or redemption). Jesus was a Lutron Leader - a Redemptive Leader. I would submit that's exactly what kind of leader we should endeavor to be and it's the exact model I am going to take some time to write about this week. I believe it to be the best model to effectively and adequately capture Christ-like leadership. If you have questions or comments, as always, leave a post and I will be sure to try my best to address them. Lead to Redeem!

To Serve w/ An Agenda

The secular world has readily adopted Servant Leadership as viable and effective, yet are we not called to something completely different than mere “value based leadership” by taking care of our people. I would assert that any theory of leadership (Servant or otherwise) is insufficient without Christ as the center. I have been pondering a new model of leadership I describe as “Redemptive Leadership” that is aligned with the premise of being flourish-focused (in the Biblical sense of the word; this will be defined and explored) as leaders. There is much hype in Christian and even secular circles of Servant Leadership based on Robert K. Greenleaf’s work culminating in the popular book of the same name. However, I am proposing that Servant Leadership is limited in scope, not fully representative of Christ-centered leading. The Bible describes the mission focus of the Lord stating, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the redemption of many” (Matt. 20: 28). Servant Leadership enthusiasts assert that leaders should serve without an intended organizational goal; they are completely determined to simply serve their subordinates without an expected return. Yet, I submit that Christ had an agenda in serving – to redeem His people, restoring them to all that the Father had originally created them for. Redemption is the exchange of one thing for another; Christ traded His life for those that were condemned and helpless to save themselves, and in so doing restored the fallen creation to an intimate relationship with God. I will explore the implications of His redemption on our ability and intent to lead redemptively in the coming days. Questions/comments?

Bad News/Good News

"Gospel" literally means "good news" - and to understand the good news you must understand the bad news. Contrast yields understanding and appreciation. The extent of your understanding of the bad news is directly proportional to your understanding of the Gospel. Read with me Lk. 7: 36-50. These were/are life changing words for me. That woman "who lived a sinful life" deeply understood her personal bad news story. It drove her to brokenness, in tears, giving her greatest possession, brought low in humility before man, in worshipful service of Jesus. She grasped well the gravity of her total depravity. Think hard on the words of our Lord in verse 47, "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Our story ends with this mysterious woman being granted redemption - an exchange: removal of sin, replaced by peace! We have been and are being redeemed so that we are capable and empowered to be redemptive leaders.

Groaning In The Mire

“The effort to think like a Christian is . . . an effort to take seriously the sovereignty of God over the world he created, the lordship of Christ over the world he died to redeem, and the power of the Holy Spirit over the world he sustains each and every moment. From this perspective the search for a mind that truly thinks like a Christian takes on ultimate significance, because the search for a Christian mind is not, in the end, a search for the mind but a search for God.” —Mark Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, p. 253 (from JT's Blog)

Have you ever felt angered, saddened, and burdened by the sin that surrounds you? Rather it is the environmental effects of the Fall (i.e. sickness and death) or the unrestrained sin of those in your Wardroom and crew? Read with me in Romans 8: 22-25: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently." What is this groaning that Paul speaks of? Is this not the inward pain resulting from being broken and part of this hurting world while desiring to be home with the Lord. Tripp states that, “This side of eternity, groaning is meant to be the default language of the big kingdom.” We desire more in this life that just this life. The Redemptive Leader will foster within another person the deep longing for something more than self-serving achievement and fulfillment. We are able to assist the unbeliever in breaking free from self as they seek to serve something bigger by creating a Gospel-infected environment counter to the default, sinfully accepted setting of "Sailors being Sailors."

The Sin That Surrounds

So much of the what we read in Scripture is metaphor. Consider the verses provided a couple of days ago (Mt 14:22-36, Mk. 4:35, 41; 6:48, 51). Taken literally these passages would be little more than a "Dummy's Guide to Sailor Survival." We would understand it as simply a prescription for prayer should we ever find ourselves in a small boat being overtaken by the winds and waves of a storm. Of course, it is much more than that - it is a metaphor. What if the storm was the sin that surrounds us? Sin infects every aspect of the environment - bringing disorder, decay, and disrepair to everything we encounter. All is not as it should be. In each of these stories we learn that as the storms of sin descend and dissipate our hope is to remain in Christ. He is our "boat" of security - the vessel that prevents our sinking helplessly in the mire. Note in Mark when Jesus enters the boat peace replaces humanistic struggle at the "oars" (what are your "oars"?). We are made safe from the sin that surrounds in the security of the Savior that surrounds.

Standby . . .

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Mt. 14: 22-36

Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. Mk. 6:51

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Mk. 4: 35, 41

He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Mk. 6:48

Riding ships in stormy seas is an amazing experience that form the inner soul of the true Sailor. Unique to our profession is working with crashing waves around us - sea spray dousing you and the crew as you make preparations for entering port or an underway replenishment. It is a strange kind of fun as water smashes up and over your bow and the ship heaves as it yaws, pitches and rolls. Storms at sea put you directly in touch with the true magnificence of the Creator. God does some of his most spectacular work with raging black saltwater.

Stand by for heavy rolls while the ship comes about . . . in the coming days I am going to be writing about some heavy things. I write this blog mostly for my self - to work out my thoughts - and for others to read them and stir within their minds their own thoughts on the subject being presented. These days my thoughts are on repentance and my sin, redemption and my Savior. I have to understand how these things hinder and help, ruin and reform, and truly, practically influence the way I lead rather in the engine room, combat, or the bridge. I am convinced that if I am going to be serious about how I lead I have to be serious about how I sin. So, let's talk about the raging black saltwater within us - for God does, indeed, do some of His most spectacular work in the midst of it. To this end, I am going to be writing about sin and the ways of a Repentant Leader. If that word scares you or you think it may be discouraging - you would be partially right. You may not want to read for a time. But, you will miss out on the creation of a fuller understanding of the Gospel and its ability to completely transform you. So, I am going to be writing a series about things more sober, yet powerful. I've explored enough nuggets of leadership principles for now - something more is necessary. I think it may be time to think more seriously on more serious things. So, I'll consider the implications of the verses above and the Gospel-metaphor of the storm and the boat. Leadership begins with the leader - self-reflection is necessary for leadership development. I hope you will keep reading. If these daily doses of Biblical leadership thought stir your spiritual-mind then I would encourage you to tell 2-3 fellow leaders about it (simply text, IM, e-mail, Facebook the web address).