Knowing which alliances to make and which to stay away from will have a tremendous impact on a leader’s success. Read John 7:14-32.

Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the religious feasts held each year to commemorate a great work of God. As Jesus was teaching in the temple the religious leaders were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having studied?” Jesus’ answer indicated He received His knowledge from God and that set off a firestorm that ended with people trying to seize Him and arrest Him. Jesus knew which alliances to build and which to oppose. He consistently gathered around Him sinners whose hearts were ready to change and consistently stood against the legalistic practices of the religious leaders.

Every great leader will develop the ability to embrace change. Read John 1:1-18.

Jesus understood what it takes to lead while embracing change. In the beginning He was with God and was God and was treated as the sovereign of the universe. He left heaven where He led as God and experienced the change of becoming a leader in the form of a human infant, child, adolescent, young adult, and mature man. Jesus went from all creation knowing He was the sovereign ruler where He led with absolute power at His disposal to leading others that only saw Him as an uneducated carpenter from northern Israel with no authority and no power.

A leader’s desire for greatness is good. It is the formula for greatness that can become a problem. Read Mark 9:33-37.

When Jesus confronted His disciples for arguing over which of them was greatest, they felt embarrassed. Jesus’ example had been that true greatness is measured by how leaders serve others not who achieves the most positional authority. Jesus’ formula for greatness did not center on pleasing other men but pleasing God. He made it clear that service to others is a measure of service we give to God. The Biblical formula to becoming a great leader is measured by how leaders serve others and thus serve God.

True empowerment pairs increased responsibility with increased authority to get the job done. Read Mark 3:13-19.

Jesus deliberately chose twelve for His leadership team from several hundred close followers. Verses 14 and 15 say, “He appointed twelve – designating them apostles – that they might be with him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Jesus carefully selected mature or rapidly maturing leaders, gave them a title, responsibilities, and the authority to complete the task. True empowerment always includes the authority to fulfill the responsibilities of the job assignments.

Leaders can lead effectively when empowered by their organization. Read Matthew 28:18-20.

Jesus was preparing to return to the Father as He turned over the daily activity of His mission to His disciples. He had invested nearly three years in their training and now was empowering them to carry on His work. As Jesus empowered His disciples He provided leaders with some helpful principles of empowerment: