How did Jesus lead people? This matters because without leadership there is no discipleship –without discipleship there is no church. Discipleship is indispensable. Yet discipleship is often the battlefield upon which religious-culture does war against itself and its purpose. In the ministry of Jesus we find deep-seated principles that illustrate how Jesus created disciples. These principles are so fundamental that they speak to every issue of christian leadership and church culture. Jesus did not create rule sets. Jesus did not offer discipleship manuals. His leadership was astonishing to those who witnessed it. Yes, he did miracles –but no one was quoted saying Jesus did miracles unlike anyone. What the people said was that no one spoke like him. Jesus sounded unlike any religious leader the people had ever heard. Jesus did not try to organize them or rule them or control them. He taught enigmatically, in parables and aphorisms -yet he always challenged the hearer with the unspeakable mystery of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus’ leadership style celebrated influence rather than control, choice rather than manipulation. Jesus used 46 parables in his teaching. All of them reveal something about the kingdom of God. Yet none of these parables present a religious to-do list. None of these parables would make a Pharisee happy. Yet the religion that the people knew was framed around obedience rather than understanding -so why wouldn’t Jesus just make rules? Jesus’ teaching leaves the hearer with the distinct impression that he mistrusted rules, systems, and formulas. Rather, Jesus would share insight into the Kingdom of God. Jesus would offer a parable, a truth, a concept, then leave the hearer to wrestle with it, to make application, to organize himself or herself in response to that insight.The issue of control versus influence lies at the heart of ministry. How we organize churches. How we advocate for politics. The culture that develops within our congregations. The tone of our teaching. Control versus influence becomes a culture war between church liberals and church conservatives. Sincere people disagree. Yet isn’t it interesting that the One who actually had power forsook it, and humbled himself to influence and invitation? Jesus transformed the lives of the people he touched. Not just the Twelve but many beyond that inner circle. How did he do it? Jesus did it through levels of discipleship –where the hearer individually decides both whether he or she will respond, and the level of his or her response. This book seeks to show how Jesus used levels of discipleship to orient people toward the Kingdom of Heaven. And how we can use levels of discipleship to create an influence culture in our own Christian efforts.
