Conflict management starts with a leader’s attitude. Read Matthew 5:43-45.

Jesus was teaching His disciples some truths that were (and still are) counter cultural. In what many consider His most famous sermon He called His team to be different, to see the world from God’s perspective, to relate to people in a supernatural fashion, and to develop a God-like attitude rather than to accept the popular worldview. With these words, “You have heard that it was said, ‘love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven,” Jesus challenged a culturally accepted norm held by virtually every leader on earth.

Leaders must clearly articulate the values they want each person on their team to possess. Read Matthew 5:1-16.

As Jesus public ministry expanded, larger crowds began to follow after Him to hear His teaching. In Matthew 5 Jesus articulated the values he expected every one of His followers to possess. He made it clear that the values of His followers must be different from the other religious and government leaders. He wanted only followers who demonstrated humility, sorrow over sin, gentleness, a desire for purity, a devotion to peace, a desire to relieve suffering of others and people who would even endure persecution for doing what is right. These are values that opened His team to everyone; they didn’t need external qualities such as power, special skill, prestige, position, and wealth but rather internal values that any person could possess.

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.

Humility is not a matter of a leader’s weakness or passivity, but it is disciplined strength and other-centered power. Read Matthew 3:11-14.

John the Baptist was a very powerful leader sent to call the people of Israel to repentance as he prepared the way for Jesus’ message. He lived in an arid region east of Jerusalem and was often found baptizing people in the Jordon River. John the Baptist demonstrated exemplary leadership when he willingly acknowledged the coming of one greater than himself. Even though John possessed the strongest voice of the day, when Jesus started His ministry, John willingly submitted to His authority.

God-honoring leaders use their power for the benefit of others, not exclusively for personal gain. Read Matthew 2:13-20.

Very few leaders in the Bible used their power in a more destructive and abusive way than King Herod. When he was informed that a Messiah, a Savior from God, was to be born in the region under his control, rather than submitting himself to the Messiah, he used his power to slaughter every child in the region below a certain age to eliminate any threat to his leadership. Herod’s abuse of power defined his legacy as a brutal murderer.