Heal the sick. Raise the dead. Train disciples.
All three are things that Jesus did as critical parts of His earthly ministry, and there is one of these that you and I also have the power to do.
Yet, why is it that we so often see this one as “impossible” and just as unlikely as the other two?
In all actuality, training up a new generation of disciples was arguably the most important thing that Jesus did as a part of His ministry. If He didn’t show others how to do his “job,” then the extent of His ministry would have been limited to His time on Earth.
The same understanding should exist for you and me as leaders. Part of being an effective leader is leaving a legacy, and that is almost exclusively measured by the people who are left behind after we are gone.
Jesus used the term “disciple,” but nowadays we might use words like “apprentice” or “trainee.”
Jesus specifically chose people who were available, showed potential, and had a willing attitude.
Regardless of the situation or terminology, any leader is responsible for developing others to follow after him. I don’t have to be an expert myself, and I don’t even have to be smarter than the person I’m training. What I DO have to do is be willing to pore myself into the next generation and teach them whatever I know.
And it starts now. Jesus began His earthly ministry knowing that He needed to train others on how to take over when He left. He didn’t wait to start until right before He was crucified. He made sure that He always had others around when He ministered, and He used every opportunity to create a teaching moment and explain what He was doing and why.
He spent three years poring himself into His chosen disciples, training, coaching, and correcting them, so that they understood the big picture beyond just what they saw Him do.
He specifically chose people who were available, showed potential, and had a willing attitude. In essence, He played favorites. He didn’t wait for someone in the crowd to volunteer, and He didn’t afford everyone the same opportunity. Instead, He chose to hand-pick his crew.
The end result was that He spent three years poring himself into His chosen disciples, training, coaching, and correcting them, so that they understood the big picture beyond just what they saw Him do. And when He left, His team was ready to take over because they had been infused with the full vision of what needed to be done.
So if Jesus saw this as such a critical foundation of his ministry, then shouldn’t we? Identify the eager team members with potential and invest as much in them as possible. Grab someone else and show them how to fix an issue we’re troubleshooting. Take our hands off the reins and let someone else run a critical position, then debrief with them afterwards to help them improve.
Is it easy to carve out time to train someone else, knowing that it will be a consuming, long-term investment? Or is it comfortable to do, knowing that they may end up being better at something than me? No!
I don’t have to be there all the time, because someone else has proven themselves capable of performing in my absence.
But in the end, it pays tremendous dividends. I’ve established myself as a leader and team-builder. I’ve also doubled my productivity, because I and my apprentice(s) can now get work done in multiple places at the same time. Plus, I don’t have to be there all the time, because someone else has proven themselves capable of performing in my absence.
Jesus assured His disciples that they would do even greater works than He did, and there’s no reason why our apprentices can’t help take our ministries to a whole new level, as well.
It’s not quite as extreme as raising the dead, but the end result may be just as much of a lifesaver.
