Leaving a Legacy of Service

“The family legacy is not combat. It’s service.”

— Danny Reagan From Blue Bloods. Blue Bloods Season 4 Episode 13 Unfinished Business

One of my favorite shows is back on CBS and that is Blue Bloods. One of my favorite quotes from that show is when the character Danny Reagan shares with his wife Linda some insight on the family of cops that she is in. “The family legacy isn’t combat its service.” It garners the question what is your legacy? What is a good legacy? How can you leave a good legacy? How can you change a legacy?

Let me share a little personal story. I gave my thirties to missions and ministry. I began to think “what did we actually accomplish? Did we make a difference?” I began to regret taking the leap of leaving home and investing six years in Beijing. I didn’t preach at a massive crusade. I didn’t start a school or hospital. I questioned what had we done and why had we gone? Was any difference made?

The night before we left China. Our church gave us a going away party. Many of our members and friends were there. We had a great time sharing Korean BBQ with them. As a pastor I had hoped that my sermons, my messages would have inspired and changed someones life. As the night came to a close many people said a few words about our time in Beijing. There was one unifying theme that lifted my spirits up at that last supper.

People may or may not have remembered any of my sermons but they remembered that we were there for them. During the three long years of Covid, the lockdowns, and the isolation; we were there for them. We routinely checked in on people, invited them to our home or out to lunch or coffee. We walked with them around the block when there was no where else to go and their families were far far away. We encouraged them and prayed for them and befriend them.

How do you make a difference? Volumes of books have been written about great men and women who lead, invented, displayed bravery and they deserve their honors. Let me offer a few considerations for your thoughts on how the average person can make a difference.

• What of the praying grandparents who intercede for their grandchildren?

• What of the teachers and coaches who took extra attention and time for the troubled teen?

• What of the nurse who took the time to explain a situation to the difficult patient.

• What of the police officer who went beyond the call of duty?

• It’s the extra mile that will make the difference in your leadership. The extra mile will set you apart. The extra mile will define your legacy.

• You may not be remembered for being a great speaker but a great speaker can be remembered for their service, their care, going the extra mile.

  Jesus said the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven will be the servant of all. That sentence is proven day after day to be true. Will it be true for you? Will you take the time to care, to go the extra mile, to be a servant? If so you may just find out that you will be the leader of all.

  Check out this short film I made on Legacy.

Lead Like Jesus: Principal 3. Lead Through Service

Jesus Teaching

Lead through service. This statement sounds like an oxymoron or a contradiction to most people. But the Hope of Glory who is Jesus Christ expressed that this was the only way to lead if you want to be great in the Kingdom of God. He had every right to make commands and He did, but He backed them up by example and by serving others. Though He was a rabbi, priest, king, and God; Jesus gives us the ultimate example of leadership by showing the way. He served His disciples and followers. Take a few moments and imagine that. What a thought that is.

Remember, a title doesn’t make you a leader, knowledge doesn’t make you a leader, and being an entrepreneur doesn’t make you a leader.

“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” —John C. Maxwell

Great leaders don’t set out to be great…they set out to make a difference.

Mark 10:42-45 NKJV 42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.-Douglas Adams

Toward the end of my time in China, I began to develop depression. It may have been rooted in self-pity but I couldn’t help but wonder if our time had been wasted. I gave my thirties to missions and ministry. I didn’t preach at a massive crusade. I didn’t start a school or hospital. I began to think “What did we accomplish? Did we make a difference?” I began to regret leaving home and investing six years in Beijing.

The night before we left China. Our church threw us a going away party. Many of our members and friends were there. We had a great time sharing Korean BBQ with friends. As a pastor, I had hoped that my sermons and messages would have inspired and changed someone’s life. As the night came to a close many people said a few words about our time in Beijing. One unifying theme lifted my spirits at that last supper. People may or may not remember any of my sermons but they remember that my wife and I were there for them. During the three long years of COVID-19, the lockdowns, and the isolation, we were there for them. We routinely checked in on people and invited them to our home or out to lunch or coffee. We walked with them around the block when there was nowhere else to go and their families were far far away. We encouraged them, prayed for them, and befriended them.

. How do you make a difference? Volumes of books have been written about great men and women who led, invented, and displayed bravery and they deserve their honors. But one must ask:

• What of the praying grandmas who intercede for their grandchildren?

• What of the teachers and coaches who took extra attention and time for the troubled teen?

• What of the nurse who took the time to explain medical situations to the difficult patient?

• What of the policeman who went beyond the call of duty?

• It’s the extra mile that will make a difference in your leadership. The extra mile will set you apart. The extra mile will define your legacy.

You may not be remembered for being a great speaker but a great speaker can be remembered for their service, their care, and going the extra mile. Jesus said the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven will be the servant of all. That sentence is proven day after day to be true. Will it be true for you? Will you take the time to care, to go the extra mile, to be a servant? If so you may just discover that you will be the leader of all.

“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Lead Like Jesus: Principal 2. Empowerment

Jesus teaching

Jesus taught his disciples and followers by sharing truth through stories that were easy to remember and to share with others. In this way, His message became a lot more mobile and easy to spread to the nations. But Jesus didn’t just lead through teaching He led through example. He demonstrated the Kingdom of God through his miracles. He demonstrated to His followers how to be led and to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 NKJV  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

A good leader gets right in the dirt and does the work.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader - ”

— John Quincy Adams

A good leader doesn’t just command but sets the bar and shows the example. Most people learn by seeing someone else do the work first and not just hearing or reading about how to do the work.

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature…”-Hebrews 1:3 BSB. “He is the image of the invisible God…”-Colossians 1:15

Jesus perfectly modeled the will, power, and majesty of the Father and in turn, He has commanded, demonstrated, and became the example of how to display God’s love, power, and glory here on the earth. Jesus then empowered His disciples those of His inner circle and, the seventy-two those in his outer circle, to preach and to do miracles.

Mark 6:7–13 ESV And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.[a] 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

Understand that leaders don’t seek the reward of greatness for themselves but they empower others to build and carry out the work. Too many great churches and ministries have failed and faltered due to not raising someone anointed to carry on the work.

Jesus knew that while He was on the earth He was confined to an earthly body and therefore could not be everywhere at once. He needed to multiply His ministry by empowering His disciples and followers. The result is that today billions of people across the globe are following The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

As a John Maxwell certified speaker, I see this process happening through the John Maxwell organization. Mr. Maxwell has been a preacher, author, and leadership speaker for decades however the most prominent change he has made to carry out his work and legacy is empowering others to carry out his teachings, values, and His name. It’s been proven time and again that if people take ownership of a “work” it will go further, longer, and garner more success.

Jesus has given us His, teachings, values, and name to carry out the work of the Kingdom of God. The greatest empowerment of all is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus didn’t hold anything back. He gave us everything we need to succeed and to represent Him and His Kingdom in all the earth.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Leading well is not about enriching yourself - it's about empowering others-John C. Maxwell

Lead like Jesus. Principal 1: Lead Through Stories

On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.-Revelation 19:16

Jesus taught truth through simple relatable stories.

Picture is from The Chosen series

Jesus Christ was, is, and forevermore is the king of the universe. That title alone gives Him the authority backed up by His divine powers as God, in which He can command what He wills, and we should obey it. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus knew that He needed to come and model the life He wants us to live because we, His people, are like sheep, stubborn, and, unfortunately, often stupid.

Jesus understood that leadership flows from example and not just mere titles.

Jesus took off His divine nature and stepped into time and space onto the earth to lead His people and, ultimately, all people back into a relationship with the Father. What were some of the tools that Jesus used to lead and influence the people around Him? One of those tools was to illustrate His points and truth through short stories.

Stories are Powerful

I’m not sure why, but stories hold power. People gravitate toward good stories. Everyone’s favorite relative is the funny storyteller, right? The entertainment industry spends billions annually producing movies- stories to entertain and teach their morals. The printed word is far from dead, as e-books and physical books are still in high demand. Young and older people love to see, hear, and read stories. Abraham Lincoln was an exceptional storyteller, which was instrumental to his rise in power. People were drawn to his charm, wit, and stories.

People love to learn but they don’t like to be taught.

Everyone loves to learn new things. Universities across the globe are filled with learners. Every prominent speaker now has a masterclass or book on how they succeeded. People spend copious amounts of money on advancing their degrees. People love to learn, but they don’t want to feel like children back in school. They like to learn on their own time and steam. I’m sure this is why Jesus preached only one sermon in his ministry, and the rest was communicated through stories, i.e., examples. His number one phrase was “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”

Matthew 13:3 “He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds…”

Common Ground

Jesus is connecting to his audience through common ground. His audience was familiar with farming, fishing, and shepherding. Jesus connected them with stories they could relate to and easily remember and repeat to others. His parables are an effective means of teaching and remembering the simple truths of the Kingdom of God.

Connecting Through Vulnerability

Jesus didn’t have any sin therefore He told about other people’s failures and sins to help relate to and connect with the crowds. Everyone can relate to how they sinned, messed up, owed money, were betrayed, suffered injustice, and so forth. Vulnerability gives you credibility with your audience, and Jesus reached out to people by sharing such stories that gave Him credibility. This gave Him built-in high ground to command them to “go and sin no more.” The 10 Commandments and the Sermon on the Mound are the precedents of the moral high ground, but through stories, Jesus broke down the barriers and communicated God’s truth to all men, from the powerful to the lowly.

The Wise and Foolish Builders are just such an example. It is a short story, easy to remember and repeat to others, and delivers one of the most powerful truths about the Kingdom in just a few sentences. The truth is that having faith in Jesus is like building your life on a solid rock.

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”-Matthew 7:24-29NKJV

To be an effective leader, share vulnerable and interesting stories that illustrate your point.