Following Jesus’ Example: Empowering Leaders in Global Missions, by Victor H. Cuartas

How Shall We Lead the Church?

In this Pneuma Review conversation, church planter Victor Cuartas asks, what do Spirit-empowered leaders look like?

There is an urgent need for equipping leaders in global missions. Leadership is about service and influence. We found in Jesus the best example to follow in global missions. This article will focus on the example of Jesus in training and releasing others for ministry. This paper will conclude with different perceptions in regards to power.

The Kingdom of God in the Scriptures

When analyzing the teachings of Christ, one can see clearly throughout the Gospels the theme about the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ theme was the good news of the Kingdom of God, which was presented clearly by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Luke records Christ’s own words to describe His purpose with “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, NASV). “The kingdom of God in the Gospels means, God in His sovereign grace invading history in order to save His people from their sins and woes.”¹

Without a doubt the central theme of the teaching of Jesus is the coming of the kingdom of God. This expression is found in sixty-one separate sayings in the Synoptic Gospels.² Counting parallels to these passages, the expression occurs over eighty-five times. It also occurs twice in John 3:3, 5. It is found in such key places as the preaching of John the Baptist, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 3: 2); Jesus’ earliest announcement, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”³ The prayer Jesus taught his disciples, “Thy kingdom come” (Matt 6:10); in the Beatitudes, “For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5: 3-10); at the Last Supper, “I shall never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day, when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God” (Mark 14:25); and in many other of Jesus’ parables.⁴

One can also consider the kingdom of God in terms of the importance for Israel. In fact, “The symbol of the kingdom evoked in Israel the remembrance of God’s activity, whether as Creator of the Cosmos, the creator of Israel in history, or ultimately as agent of God’s final intervention at the end of history.”⁵ Thus, the relevance of the kingdom of God is very important.

There are two important aspects of the kingdom of God. Many scholars refer to the kingdom of God as “the already but not yet.” These are the present (already) reality and the future (not yet) of the kingdom. Every believer is already enjoying God’s kingdom, however the fulfillment of the kingdom will take place with the second coming of the Lord (John 14:3).

Love needs to be our main motivation in God’s kingdom. God loves all kinds of people. The motivation of God for building His kingdom is love. God’s love for His creation does not have limitations. The most significant manifestation of love in the universe is expressed when God sent His only Son to die for us on the cross (John 3:16). It is because of His love that all believers have the opportunity to enjoy eternal life.

Jesus denied Himself to pay the ultimate sacrifice. When He was on the cross, He received all the punishment for our sins (Isa 53:5). It is because of His obedience that we have access to the Father. Yet, more than half of the global population still needs to hear the powerful message of the Gospel. Fortunately, God is still concerned for His creation and believers have a wonderful opportunity to spread the Gospel as never before.

Jesus is our example to follow. There are several accounts in the Bible that describe Jesus’ urgency to meet the needs of the people. He always was willing to go and bless the needy regardless the circumstances. Jesus went out and saw the needs of the people. Thus, every believer needs to follow Jesus’ example. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36, NIV).

Jesus called the disciples to fulfill His Father’s will. The verb “called” in the Greek is proskaleomai, which means (1) to call to, (2) to call to one’s self, or (3) to bid to come to one’s self.⁶ The NKJV, KJV and NIV translate the word as “called.” The NASB uses the word “summoned” (Mark 3:13; 6:7a). Jesus invited “those whom He desired” (Mark 3:13, RSV). The initiative lay not with the disciples but with the Master. “A call to preach always implies a call to prepare.”⁷ Thus, the disciples were called by Jesus for a specific purpose: “to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus trained the disciples to preach the Gospel. The verb to “preach” in the Greek is kerusso that means: (1) to be a herald, to officiate as a herald; or (2) to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done.⁸ “Through intimate fellowship with the Lord, the disciples would receive a commission ‘to preach’ and an authority (exousia, power in the sense of delegated authority) to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils.”⁹ Jesus sent out His disciples to proclaim God’s kingdom (Mark 3:14b; 6:12b).

Jesus sent the disciples forth to do the work. On this occasion, the verb “sent out” in Greek is apostello that means: (1) to order (one) to go to a place appointed; or (2) to send away, dismiss (Mark 3:14b; 12a). Jesus “began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits” (Mark 6:7b, NKJV, emphasis added). Jesus’ strategy to fulfill His mission was to send His disciples in pairs. Jesus’ training of the twelve had by now come to the point that He could send them out to spread His teaching.

Jesus continued to work in the villages, but the influence of His disciples could reproduce His ministry. The fact that Mark 6:7a says that Jesus “began to send them forth” (KJV) means only that he had not done this before. “Jesus sent the Twelve Apostles on a brief missionary tour of Galilee, since He could not reach all the hundreds of towns and villages.”¹⁰ Jesus felt at that time that His disciples were prepared to go out to fulfill His mission.

Jesus empowered his disciples for the mission. The verb “empowered” in Greek is exousia, which means: (1) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises, or (2) the power of authority (influence) and of right (Mark 3:15a; 6:7b). The disciples received the divine impartation from the Lord. Even though the disciples were trained for the mission, they still had to receive the power from their Master to be effective in their ministry.

Believers are sent every day everywhere. God is looking for people who are available to respond to His call. The power is in the obedience, and it is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22). One needs to start in Jerusalem, in our own neighborhood, then reaching out to Judea, Samaria, including the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The bottom line is obedience and that is one of the biggest challenges for many believers today. Thus, followers of Christ need to be intentional in hearing God’s voice. Furthermore, delayed obedience is also disobedience, and there are billions of people that still need to hear the message salvation.

One of the most powerful principles that we find in the Scriptures is the principle of unity. Unity is a promise from God. There are great opportunities today for partnership and collaboration. This process needs to be intentional. The consequences of not walking in unity will ultimately affect the very people that need to be reached with the Gospel. This unity needs to start in each of us. It involves denominations, local churches, missionary agencies and seminaries. This is not optional. If we really want to expand God’s kingdom and reach the unreached people groups, we must find different ways to work together for God’s glory.

God can use difficult times to bring churches and denominations together in prayer, forgiveness and fasting. That has been the case in many countries in Africa and Latin America. God is the only solution to the problems that many people are facing. Sometimes God can use even persecution to bring spiritual transformation in the cities.

God is able to change the spiritual climate of nations: revival can take place when people in leadership decide to turn to God and work in unity. Remember the words of Paul to the Ephesians, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:1-6, NIV, emphasis added).

Jesus intercedes before His Father for oneness. In the Gospel of John, Jesus powerfully mentions in his prayer the importance of oneness. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17: 20-21, NIV, emphasis added).

We can do more things together. It is amazing the plans that we can accomplished when we join together in unity, having the right motivation and goal. Through God all things can be multiplied. Every missionary agency and local church is gifted to expand God’s kingdom. The analogy that comes to my mind is the people of God attending a banquet where everybody brings all that they have and put it on the same table. Everyone is blessed and served. Everyone can bring something powerful to the table. This specific time that we are living today provides wonderful opportunities for us to be creative and grow as a community of believers. Is it not remarkable that God is sending Asians to reach Africans, Latinos to reach Muslims, and Africans to reach Europeans? Thus, missionary agencies are increasingly partnering together with a united vision and purpose. God is a creative God, and we need to align our hearts with the Lord of the harvest.

Every believer needs to pay the price. One of the aspects in global missions today that we have the tendency to forget is about sacrifice. This is the reality for many missionaries in the field, who are paying the price denying themselves for others. We are asked to do the same. In terms of leadership, new models of partnering are going to require servant leadership. Therefore, one of the questions that we need to ask ourselves is: are we willing to share leadership? When working with different ethnic groups, one needs to be willing to submit to others. For example, there are some missionary agencies that are organizing blended teams for short terms missions trips. This is something powerful that we are going to see more often; different denominations and missionary agencies networking with local churches for the sake of the Gospel. In addition, the importance of connecting and serving the “majority world missionaries”¹¹ is proven to be effective and strategic. Are we willing to be led by those who are better acquainted with their own cultures and people?

There is an urgent need for building authentic relationships. Trust is one of the most important aspects to consider for developing relationships with diverse ethnic groups. Most majority world leaders are looking for people that they can trust and with whom they can partner. Also, it is important to “recognize that unity is grounded in shared commitments, but nurtured in relationship.”¹² This is an important value for the Hispanic, Asian, and African cultures. Most of the leadership transactions are based on authentic relationships. The majority world missionaries are not necessarily looking for perfect planning and strategies, they also want to know that we are willing to learn from them as well. Are we willing to listen and learn from them? This is an important question that we need to consider.

Misunderstandings about Power Distance

Societies in different cultures have developed different solutions to inequality. In his article, “Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions: An Independent Validation using Rokeach’s Value Survey,” G. Hofstede defines Power distance as “the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations accept that power is distributed unequally.”¹³ Hofstede conducted a great research in forty countries. He identifies “High Power Distance” cultures, in which people believe that there should be an order of inequality in the world (e.g. Philippines, Brazil, and Turkey). On the contrary, in “Low Power Distance” cultures (e.g. Austria, Norway, and United States), the majority of the people believe that inequality in society should be minimized. To understand these differences will help us to anticipate and deal with these challenges. What can we expect when working and serving with people from Latin America, Asia, and Africa?

When cultural values hold opposing views, conflict may occur. Cultural values are very important and all of us need to be aware that values contribute to the identity and self-perception of the people. In Christianity Confronts Culture, Marvin Mayers shares six pairs of contrasting basic values: dichotomizing vs. holistic, declarative vs. interrogative, time-oriented versus event-oriented, goal-conscious vs. interaction-conscious, prestige ascribed versus achieved, and vulnerability as a strength versus weakness.¹⁴ Usually, people place a high priority on their values. Be prepared to deal with the challenges of having missionary agencies, local churches and missionaries with different values. Usually, people place a high priority on their values. In addition, organization’s values and individual values are also confronted.

For instance, if we are developing Business as Mission strategies in difficult access countries, we need to train our staff and missionaries to deal with different corporate values in that specific nation. What kind of new values are we going to embrace in the process? “The only absolute cultural values to which every culture must bow are the eternal biblical values, to which Jesus held.”¹⁵ In addition, we need to emphasize more spiritual values to work in unity (Gal 5:19-21, 2 Cor 6:14-7:1).

Lack of trust is one of the biggest challenges. Trust is the basis of all relationships. Trust is an essential element to work with other people in any environment. Trust is even more important for us, since our intention is to explore possibilities of working together to bless other people who desperately need to hear the message of Christ. Our focus is on people, so we must develop a sense of trust. “A breach of trust will cause a sudden break in the relationship, which, if not resolved, will cause a deterioration of the relationship.”¹⁶ Trust is mainly developed through our relationship with God. As believers, we are called to trust in God always (Ps 20:7). Finally, Jesus Himself encourages us to trust in God and also in Him (John 14:1).

Different expectations are frequently a cause of disagreement. Conflict can occur due to either misinformation or to different views in understanding the appropriate way to respond in a specific situation. When working with diverse ethnic groups, one needs to communicate sincerely and ask when we are not sure of how to react in specific situations. “Understanding different cultural expectations can facilitate better communication and the avoidance of conflict.”¹⁷

Conclusion

Jesus has provided His great example to follow. When working with different ethnicities, we need to be aware of the different expectations and perspectives in regards to service and power. The more than we focus on God’s kingdom, the more than we can serve others with love and passion.

PR

Notes

¹ A. M Hunter, Christ and the Kingdom (Michigan: Servant Books, 1980), 92.

² Joachim Jeremias, New Testament Theology (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971), 31. The author lists 13 instances in Mark, 9 in Matthew/Luke (Q), 27 in Matthew, and 12 in Luke.

³ See Mark 1:15; cf. Matthew 4:17; Luke 4: 42-43. (NASV)

⁴ See Matthew 13: 24, 44, 45, 47; Mark 4:26-30; Luke 19:11.

⁵ John Fuellenbach, The Kingdom of God: The Message of Jesus Today (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2006), 55.

⁶ BibleWorks 4: The Premier Biblical Exegesis and Research Program. Software for Windows Version 4, (Big Fork, MT: 1999).

⁷ Carl F. Henry, ed., The Biblical Expositor: Matthew to Revelation 2nd ed., vol. 3 (Philadelphia: Holman. 1960), 80.

⁸ BibleWorks, 4.

⁹ Ralph A. Earle, Elwood Sanner, and Charles L. Childers, Beacon Bible Commentary, vol. 6 (Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press, 1964), 294.

¹⁰ Henry, 84.

¹¹ Enoch Wan, and Michael Pocock, eds., Missions from the Majority World: Process, Challenges, and Case Studies (Pasadena: William Carey, 2009), ii.

¹² Gary, Corwin, “Doing Diversity Well,” Evangelical Missions Quarterly 44 (October 2008): 417.

¹³ G. Hofstede, and M. Bond “Hofstede’s Culture Dimensions: An Independent Validation using Rokeach’s Value Survey,” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 15 (1984): 419.

¹⁴ Marvin K. Mayers, Christianity Confronts Culture (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1974), 147-70.

¹⁵Lianne Roembke, Building Credible Multicultural Teams (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library Pub, 2000), 17.

¹⁶Ibid.,28.

¹⁷ Lane, 121.