14 minute read
My pulpit message notes: Leaders who mediate
from TT 159
by TIMES TODAY
Leaders who Mediate
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Are we leaders who mediate?
Mediation is a structured interactive process where an impartial third party assists disputing parties to resolve conflict.
Three instances where Barnabas was that mediator:
Barnabas mediation for Saul (Acts 9:2-5, 27)
Barnabas mediation for John Mark (Acts 13:13, Acts 15:36-38)
Barnabas mediation for the church community (Acts 4:36)
Recently in the Oscar awards that were held this year, Chris Rock made an inappropriate remark about Will Smith and talked about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith in a manner that did not please him. Will was so furious that he got up and walked on stage and smacked Christ across his face. This had never happened in the Oscars and people thought this was a new script, but it wasn’t.
What we didn’t see in that whole saga was the role that one other actor Denzel Washington played. During the break, he got these two guys and stepped in and mediated. He told Will, “On your greatest moment, be careful because that is when the devil comes for you. Have you ever had a Denzel moment? Are you a leader who mediates?
Barnabas mediation for Saul (Acts 9:2-5, 27)
In Acts 9:2-5 Saul had gone to the high priest and was asking for letters to take to the synagogues in Damascus so that if he found those that were called people of the Way, people who believed in Christ, he would take them as prisoners in Jerusalem.
- Verse three and following, Saul has an encounter with God and becomes a follower of this same Christ. In Acts 9:26 he goes to Jerusalem and the disciples totally refuse to engage with him. I can only imagine what has been going through their minds, this is the same guy who has been tormenting us, raising havoc amidst us.
- But in Acts 9:27 says, “But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.”
- We see that Barnabas, sensing the rejection of Saul by Christians, stands up for Saul and by the very words of Acts 9:27 Barnabas mediates on behalf of Saul that he may find acceptance with the apostles.
- At times it is difficult to change your reputation even as you make this conversion from being a non-believer to a believer. It is difficult to make new friends even as you become a Christian and especially as an adult. But two things stand out for Barnabas here; not only did he mediate on behalf of Saul, but he portrayed leadership courage that is so desired in our different communities today.
- Simon Seneka said,
Who am I giving a chance to grow, even if I take the flak for the mistakes they are making?
- Barnabas became the bridge between Saul and the apostles. Am I a bridge to a new Christian, or to a person in need?
- New Christians need bridges. They need us to mediate for them. They need us to encourage them and come along side them and encourage them even as they get involved in this new world of Christianity.
- Be a Barnabas even in the upcoming elections, because I dare say, there will be many brothers and sisters in conflict with themselves and with others who are significant in their lives. Why? There are many people who stepped out early this year to get a very elusive certificate known as nomination certificate and many have spent huge sums of money, but they never got that certificate. That certificate this year has become more elusive than the US dollar. Are you a leader who will mediate for that brother, or sister?
- Barnabas was a mediator that Saul needed to be a confident follower of Christ. Are you a mediator?
- Barnabas mediates for Saul, Barnabas mediates for John Mark and Barnabas mediates for the church community.
Barnabas mediation for John Mark (Acts 13:13, Acts 15:36-38)
- In Acts 13:13 We see that Paul and his companions had sailed from Persia to Pamphilia where John Mark left them. He went AWOL. But Paul continued with this journey with Barnabas.
- Why did John Mark leave? There have been different suggestions that have been given as to why he left this mission station. One, that he was homesick. Two, that he resented the change of leadership from Barnabas to Paul (John Mark was Barnabas cousin). Three, he may have become ill (Gal 4:13). He may have been unable to withstand the rigours and dangers of the missionary journey. Or he may have planned to only go that far, but did not communicate that to Paul and Barnabas. The mission continued and it was successful.
- However in Acts 15:36-38, we read that Paul was now preparing his second missionary journey and here comes Barnabas and proposes to take John Mark and Paul totally refuses. The reason is because he had deserted them for the first journey.
- I suppose what Paul is saying in his mind is that, John Mark I gave you an opportunity and you blew it. Paul may have been thinking of Proverbs 25:29
- You would imagine that this would cause a serious rift between these two men of God, but they ended up forming two teams. Barnabas and John Mark travelled to Cyprus and Paul and Silas travelled to Syria and Cilicia. Barnabas continues to mediate for John Mark and even when that failed he still did not dump him. He picked him and had him under his wings and he continued to mentor him.
- Why do this and at what cost? At what cost do you stand out and mediate for a person at the expense of losing a relationship with another person?
- Later on we read that Mark spent a whole chapter in the New Testament and later also joins Paul in Colossians 4:10 into another missionary journey.
- Barnabas did not dump Mark because of his courage, the compassion he had for this young intern and he took him under his wings.
- Who do you have under your wings that you are mentoring in this season and sharing godly counsel even as Christian leaders.
- In the context of politics and leadership even in this season, who are we mentoring? Is it a young MCA who is just getting into this mad world of politics? Is it an MP, a woman rep, a governor, a presidential candidate, or a colleague in the office?
- Christians in Kenya today have varied views whether we should vie for elective positions or not. What can we do? We can consider to change strategy and influence those that have been elected. Influence those that on August 9th will be elected.
- Influence them with Christian values and principles because the are our brothers and sisters and if you like it or not, they will continue to serve us, but how better that they serve us with values that are Christian and principles that are Biblical. We should allow that we are governed by values of Christians and allow this to permeate our political scene.
- Am I a leader who mediates on behalf of others? Am I courageous enough to reach out to others even when I know they have made a mistake and stand by them and show them to the real Mediator our Lord Jesus Christ?
Barnabas mediation for the church community (Acts 4:36)
- We encounter Barnabas when he sells his land and puts the money at the feet of the apostle. In Acts 4:32 all believers at this time were of one heart and one mind. They shared everything they had and they did this even as they had the apostles share the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. So there was rapid and expansive growth of the church.
- Remember as we read from Acts 4 verse one and following, this is still happening despite the tribulation that Peter and John are going through. But this time the church has over five thousand people.
- I suggest to you that as churches grow, the needs increase.
- Out of compassion for the people who were new converts, Barnabas sells his land and brings that money to the feet of the apostles. The selling of this kind at that time was not derived from communist theories, but it was derived from the passion they had for the people. They only sold what was necessary and the sharing was voluntary, it was not forced.
- It was because of the unity that had been brought about by the working of the Holy Spirit amongst the believers at that time.
What can we do in response to these three acts of Barnabas?
1. Take risks with people,
Proverbs 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” Why take risks with people? They always disappoint, they always fail us. But time and again we have been told that the greatest asset is people.
- That great asset will only become greater if it is mentored, coached. That is why we have many development programmes.
- Look for a person that you feel and can see desires to be nurtured and take a risk with them.
- Barnabas took a risk with two people; Paul and John Mark and mediated on their behalf. This was at a great cost for him and that was relational capital with Paul and the apostles.
- A third of the New Testament was written by Paul. If he had not taken this risk with Paul what would have happened?
- Mark goes ahead and writes a book in the gospel. What would have happened?
- Even as we take risks with people we can become what John Piper has called ‘Leader-makers’. He says,
We do not know the outcome of mentoring unless we start. We do not know the outcome of mediation, unless we start. But remember, all for the glory of Jesus Christ.
2. Be humble and self-effacing.
Barnabas faded into the background and pushed others to prominence.
- Self effacing is described as not claiming attention to oneself, but retiring and being modest. Barnabas was self-effacing, he was gracious and polite, That is why we have thirteen epistles of the New Testament.
- Who are you pushing to prominence as you draw back? Is it a new leader in your organisation? Is it a new Christian? Or is it a person you are mentoring and you are desiring of them to be a better leader than you are?
What lessons do we draw out of this to enable us to be a mediator or to have a Denzel moment?
As leaders, what can we do?
1. Encourage others that they may be greater than who we are.
The mark of leadership as we mentor other people is that you desire those people will be greater who you are. That they will achieve more than you. That they would accomplish more than you have accomplished.
2. That you will give time and share our experiences and lend out networks and resources to new leaders.
One of the biggest currencies that we can give to people we are nurturing and mentoring is our networks.
In the context of politics and leadership I encourage you to encourage someone who lost this year’s nomination. Be a mediator as they reconcile with self, with significant others around them and with God.
- Many times when you talk to people they will tell you, I have heard from the Lord that I should run for an elective seat. Then what should happen when you don’t get that certificate? There is serious conflict with self and with God.
- I suggest that we need to prepare for August 10th to 15th when the results of the elections are coming in because many of our brothers and sisters will need a mediator.
There are some people who will lose the elections. Out of the 1450 MCAs we need we have approximately 12,060 contesting. Out of the 290 MPs that will be elected, there about 2,078 who are contesting. 330 women representative candidates for 47 positions. 246 governor candidates who are contesting for 47 positions. Out of this we know 21 governors are going home because they have done two terms so 225 are contesting for 47 positions. And only of the four will become commander in chief of the four presidential candidates.
- Depending on your networks, make a pick and be an encourager and a mediator this season.
- The pain and reality of failure just seems unbearable Losing face, friends within the community seems unbearable. Losing self esteem and pride. How do I appear in my usual surroundings and I have lost? Loss of income because you resigned from your place of work six months ago to contest, or to go through the nomination process and you didn’t get it. You shut down your business to be on the ground and it didn’t work. But the fragmentation of families that happens after elections because the savings that we had have gone up in smoke. And family resources have disappeared. The list is endless.
- I urge us that in this season of politics, consider being a mediator for a brother or sister. And when you get there don’t ask, ‘So why did you go into politics?’ Wrong question. Mediate for a brother or sister and as you do this show them our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because they are our brothers and sisters. The issues they are carrying are not too heavy.
The Role of the Church
- We must be a place of refuge for the many who are going to be in conflict with self, first and foremost. For those who will be in conflict even with the significant others. For those who will be in conflict because their entire savings has gone and the families are struggling.
- We must be mediators and encouragers for those in this new space of being called, former so and so. How do they deal with that?
- Encourage and mediate those who will be in conflict that many marriages after elections struggle and are threatened because they gambled with politics and lost.
Mechanisms we can deploy to reach out to our brothers and sisters and to be a Barnabas in this season of politics, when we know there are many who could be hurting
- Mediate, whether it is families, or amongst friends. Be that encourager because our brothers and sisters carry that loss and shame of what they have gone through in that season. Remember their burdens are not too heavy for us and their burdens are not too heavy for our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Barnabas mediated for Saul, John Mark and for the church.
Take home lessons
1. Mediation is one of the most effective ways to help those around and as you listen and empathise with those that are going through conflict, direct them to our Lord Jesus Christ, our ultimate Mediator.
2. Trusting and obedience to God involves risks.
3. There is always someone in need of mediation. Around us today, whether it is businesses, family, there is always someone in need of medication. Will you be that mediator.
