Tuesday Re-mix:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15
My friend Scott is a gifted teacher. I remember one of his illustrations using a bunch of unmarked tea bags. He had everyone pass them around and smell them to see if we could tell what kind of tea each one held. Then he said something really profound: “Tea bags are a lot like people…you don’t know for sure what’s inside them until you put them in hot water.” It was a beautiful illustration about integrity and transparency. Together, those are the currency of leadership in the church.
What was truly transformative about Jesus (and what has been transformative about Christianity for over 2,000 years now) is not the power nor the persuasion nor the perfection of Jesus. Rather, it was the almost spellbinding “connection” he had with everyone he met. He connected with the Samaritan woman at the well. He connected with the Pharisee, Nicodemus. He connected with fishermen and tax collectors and soldiers and prostitutes. What changed people was his ability to see right into their souls, and at the same time allow them to see right into Him.
That was the founder of this revolution for which you and I are contending. And we should reflect that same level of transparency and connectability. It is important to our mission. In fact, the revolution depends on it.
But in our efforts to work harder to do all the things good Christians should do, and in our efforts to manage our people’s perception of us, we often tend to lose the transparency. In our churches’ efforts to elevate our leaders …
The post The Leader’s Problem with Pretense appeared first on Christian Unity Ministries.