When talking about seeing the leaders around us, we need go no further than Jesus Christ. Look at the ones he choose. They were an odd assortment of lower class, simple folk–and a few rebellious ones as well. Here’s a paragraph from Leadership Explosion:

It’s surprising that Jesus did not choose key, prominent men to form part of His twelve. None of Christ’s disciples occupied important positions in the synagogue, nor did any of them belong to the Levitical priesthood. Rather, they were common laboring men, having no professional training, no academic degrees, and no source of inherited wealth. Most were raised in the poor part of the country. They were impulsive, temperamental, and easily offended. Jesus broke through the barriers that separated the clean and unclean, the obedient and sinful. He summoned the fisherman as well as the tax collector and zealot. Jesus saw hidden potential in them. He detected a teachable spirit, honesty, and a willingness to learn. They possessed a hunger for God, a sincerity to look beyond the religious hypocrisy of their day, and they were looking for someone to lead them to salvation. In calling the despised to Himself, in sitting down to a meal with publicans, in initiating the restoration of a Samaritan woman, Jesus demonstrated that even these people were welcomed into the kingdom of God.

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Christ’s small group was full of problem people. We would label most of them as the “extra grace required” type. Yet, Jesus molded, shaped, and prepared them to be the key leader’s of His church. Are we willing to welcome those with rough edges into our cell groups with the view of preparing them for future leadership? I know it’s hard, but it is the way of the Master.

Comments?

Joel