Leadership Lessons From John the BaptistSample

Lesson 4. Leaders understand the time to be relevant.

The high competence and erudition of John the Baptist helped him to be relevant in terms of his context (place and time). John the Baptist came at a determined time in a certain epoch. Evangelists describe certain historical context John the Baptist had to minister in. Political and religious context, described by the evangelists, determined the essence of the message proclaimed by this great servant of God. John had heard the Word from God for his historical context.

All that teaches us is that the education and knowledge we received 20 years ago is not enough for us. We need to be relevant to modern society and properly meet the challenges we face today. In order to be relevant or (in other words) stay up to date, on the one hand, we need to be well-educated, on the other hand, to be sensitive to God’s voice, to proclaim His Word – e.i. clear and relevant to the challenges of the modern world.

Apostle Paul writes about David, that he “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God…” (Acts 13:36 KJV). In Chronicles, this is written about David’s army: “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred;...” (1 Chronicles 12:32 KJV). Leaders need to understand the time and place of their ministry.