Encouragement is one of the greatest tools in a leader’s toolbox. Read Matthew 17:1-13.

Peter, James and John were three of the twelve disciples who Jesus relied on heavily to complete His mission even after He was no longer living on earth. In today’s verses these men accompanied Jesus to a remote area in the mountains of Judea and to their great surprise Jesus was suddenly transfigured from a man they worked with everyday to a heavenly being, the man of grace, who was joined by Moses, Israel’s first lawgiver, and Elijah, Israel’s greatest prophet. As if this were not enough they heard the very voice of God giving Jesus’ work His approval from heaven. Can you even imagine how encouraged these men were from what Jesus revealed to them concerning the scope of their mission? The impression was so lasting that Peter later writes about it in one of his books, 2 Peter 1:16-18.

Effective Leaders do all they can to prepare their team for the future. Read Matthew 10:1-42.

Jesus’ public ministry had flourished. Large crowds were coming to hear him speak and many highly qualified individuals desired to become His disciple. Out of His many choices, Jesus chose a team of 12 that He would mentor very closely. Jesus developed these leaders by working closely with them, helping them understand the inner-hidden-deeper-secrets of God-honoring leadership by training them, and by sending them out to do the work of the kingdom. Jesus was very clear that He intended to reproduce His own leadership in them. As part of this preparation, He even prepared them for some of the hardships they would face.

The acid test of any leader is, “Can they reproduce their leadership in others?” Read Matthew 4:12-25.

After John the Baptist was arrested by King Herod, Jesus left His home town of Nazareth and moved north to Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee, and started His public ministry. One of His first recorded acts of leadership was to seek other leaders who would join Him in His cause. The Bible does not tell us how long Jesus ministered near the Sea of Galilee before He started selecting others to join His mission but it may have been some time since verse 17 says, “From that time on Jesus began to preach…” He was there long enough to get to know the community and observe the potential leaders there before He started building His team. It is interesting that Jesus did not choose leaders from the religious world to tell others about the plans of God; He chose steady, hardworking men of character with a passion for God.

Teams tend to become like their leader – good or bad! Read Malachi 2:1-9.

The leaders, both civil and religious, in Malachi’s day did not live up to the standards set by God for Hebrew leaders. Chapter 2 is full of accusations against their hypocrisy, treachery in the home, violations of temple regulations, marrying people who worshiped foreign gods, divorce, and false teachings. The people followed their example and the entire nation dishonored God. This behavior got God’s attention and in verse 9 God says, “So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people…”

The Christian leader’s performance should be so distinctively positive that it demands an explanation. Read Malachi 1:6-14.

The book of Malachi is the last book in the Bible’s Old Testament. Malachi was a prophet to the people living in Judah and Jerusalem about 70 years after the return from the Babylonian exile and about 440 years before Christ was born. After Malachi spoke to the people for God there was a period of silence for over 400 years until John the Baptist came on the scene. Malachi prophesied during a period of corrupt priests, wicked practices, and compromised leaders. He called the leaders to account for ignoring God’s standards of excellence.