Kingdom Leadership That Serves And Raises Others

Leadership is under strain, and a lot of what passes for “strong leadership” is really just status, volume, or branding. We go a different direction and talk about Kingdom of God leadership: the kind that carries values, practices, and priorities aligned with Jesus, and that leads people into deeper relationship with the Lord and radical obedience that goes all the way to the root.

One of the most challenging ideas we share is simple and costly: if we want to advance in God’s way, we have to become willing to become “a nobody” again. That means loosening our grip on recognition, privileges, and being seen as the person with the track record, so we can come underneath emerging leaders and lift them higher. We unpack why this is not a demotion but a Kingdom promotion, where servant leadership, humility, and surrender create the space for the next generation to begin where we left off and go further.

We also name some less obvious pitfalls that pull Christian discipleship off course: the “isms and itties.” When liberalism, conservatism, legalism, or other ideological extremes become identity markers, they can quietly replace allegiance to the Kingdom. From there we dig into a sharp distinction between cultural Christianity and true new birth. Jesus did not come to create a watered-down religious label. He announced the Kingdom of God, opened the way to the Father, and invites us into real kingdom citizenship now, marked by righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

If you’re hungry for clearer spiritual leadership, deeper transformation, and faith that is more than a label, listen through to the closing prayer. Subscribe, share this with a leader you trust, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation.

Transcript

Why Leadership Needs Renewal

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Even though what I'm going to be sharing in this particular podcast episode is relevant and pertinent to anyone's life, I'm specifically, though, speaking to people that are in a place of leadership. Because there is in the Western world and really all throughout the nations, we are in a place where there is a type of crisis of leadership. Good leadership, in which there are values, practices, and priorities that are aligned with the kingdom of God. That's what I'm talking about. Leadership. I'm referring to leadership as it pertains to the values, practices, and priorities found in the kingdom of God. And being a person who's upfront and leading others to a place of deeper relationship with the Lord and a place of more radical obedience. Radical meaning root, right to the root of who we are. Obedient, not because we got to, but obedient because we get to. So we're referring to everyone, we're talking, I'm talking to everybody, but there's a unique slant that I'm providing for people that are in the place of leadership. Because God is in the process, and I say this with a real sense of fear and trembling, because I don't typically forecast things, but I'm saying that God is in the process of raising up leaders from this up-and-coming generation that really require some very specific types of discipleship. And God is giving the equipment to those of us who are a little bit older to do that very thing if

Becoming A Nobody To Serve

SPEAKER_00 1:44

we're willing to do this one thing. First and foremost, if we're willing to become once again a nobody. You see, being a somebody has kind of with it some privileges and responsibilities when you have recognition. When people recognize who you are, and not necessarily, you know, idolize you, of course not, but really look to you and understand you and identify with you and consider you to be a leader. And your name is recognized. You have some reference to who you are and some track record. And you are a, in some words, a somebody. And you know, you're you're a somebody. I should say, in some ways, you're a somebody, not some words. In some ways, you're a somebody. And when we relinquish that over because there's a bigger thing in store, there's something more important, there's a kingdom thing going on, we relinquish that over so that somebody else can be in the process of emerging as a more recognized leader, and that would be the people that are in a younger from a younger generation. And we get to become a nobody. We get to serve them in a way where we elevate them. We come up from underneath them and lift them to a higher place, even higher to the one that we've been in. You see, we're like a catapult. They begin at our highest level. And you see, I'm not done growing yet. I'm still in the process of growing. And because of that, I find that there are things that I'm doing now that I wasn't doing before, but because I'm not doing them now, it actually makes way for something bigger to take place. And the process in doing that though was becoming a nobody. And in the process of becoming a nobody, a nobody, so to speak. Meaning I don't get recognized the way that I used to. And I'm doing it intentionally. Not because I'm being demoted, in fact, I'm being promoted. But in order, I should say in order, in the ways of the kingdom, the order of the kingdom of God is if you want to advance, you become the servant of all. It's different than it goes in some other corporations where it's the top-down rules. Well, no, in this, in our relationship with the kingdom of God and our citizenship, it's from the bottom up. You see, we lift people up. It's redemption and lift. We help lift other people, and in order to do that, we gotta we have to become a servant. Embrace the role of being a servant, and in that respect, be willing to become a nobody. So that's a very good word to all of us because that's one of the ways that we advance. We grow when we relinquish things, but not just give them up, we give them over to somebody else so they can take them further. And what happens to us? Guess what happens to us? We get to advance. And in the process of advancing, we receive more privileges and and and more responsibilities as well. It balances out, it should balance out anyway. Privilege and responsibility. Now, the other things I want to mention here in this particular podcast episode are things to avoid. And you know, I mean, that could be a long list for all of us of what to avoid. And that's really not what we're referring to here. I'm not going to give you a laundry list of things to avoid. In fact, for sure, I'm not giving that to you so that you can become holy. That is not the way of becoming holy. We are holy, we get to become holy because God is holy and he transforms

Avoiding The Isms And Itties

SPEAKER_00 5:43

us from the inside out. But things for us to avoid that maybe aren't so obvious. Things to avoid are the isms and the itties. The ISM apostrophe s and the ITY apostrophe. Isms and itties like liberalism, for one. The extreme form of being liberal. Conservatism. Conservativism. Extreme conservative living. Legalism, meaning just really to the letter. Almost overbearingly so, and it tends overbearingly so to the letter. Of the law. And people are taking sides and jumping into commitments that perhaps they don't really know what they're getting into. And they embrace idealisms, they embrace ideals in order to become something that they can be involved in. Because there's a desire in all of us to become involved with something and somebody. Not all the time, but there is an inner kind of a homing device to connect. And so there are plenty of opportunities to connect. And these are things to avoid, connecting to liberalism. And look these things up and find out what they stand for and what the extreme of them is and what the dangers are. Conservative ism, legalism, socialism, communism, those are just some of the isms to avoid. But the one it y that I want to have us avoid is falling into this snare, this trap of embracing this identity, and that is Christianar Christianity. Jesus never came and he never died, he never rose again to establish a religion or some type of organization

The Trap Of Identity Christianity

SPEAKER_00 8:15

that was known as denomination or Christianity. He came to establish and pronounce, declare the kingdom of God is at hand, and he revealed the Father's heart, God the Father, his heart to us, so we can have a relationship with him through Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Powerful, powerful. But that's not Christianity. See, Christianity is really kind of a religious organization that's designed to do good using the name of Jesus, using God, but really in the end, it's kind of watered down to meaning nothing. Because, you see, if people think that they are Christian because they are American, well, you've got another thing coming. That's not how one becomes a Christian by being American or being part of any country on the planet Earth. It's by being involved in the kingdom of God, but we have to be born again to enter into the kingdom of God. Like we're born to come into life on planet Earth. We need to be born again into the kingdom of God. And so it's not a result of us joining a group either. Or having a family that has a background of being involved in a relationship with Jesus. Well, my father was really a radical guy. He loved Jesus. So that must make me a Christian too, because I'm his son or daughter. Well, no, it doesn't. That doesn't how it works. That's not how it works. It's not because of lineage, it's not because back, it's not because you're married to somebody who is a Christian or Christ-like. Christianity has come to mean basically you kind of have a desire to be good and you understand that God has done something and that one day we'll get to heaven. If we're good enough, if we're good, then we believe in Jesus. Folks, that is really unfortunate. And that in many people's eyes who aren't involved in church life, that's how they see, that's how they see us. They see us through the lens of like, we're just kind of weak. We're kind of and we're a lot of, we're watered down, and and and and and and because it's unattractive. Jesus said it's by the love that we have for God truly and for one another by his spirit, the love of God is going to make it known to other people around us that something's different. And that something different is what we are able to witness to. And that something different is someone different. That someone different is Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. He transforms us from the inside out by the power of the Holy Spirit and introduces us to the heart of our Heavenly Father. To have an eternal relationship and citizenship, active citizenship in His kingdom now. Not when we wait, not when we wait. Not when we wait. Not when we wait. Not when we wait until we get to heaven, right? It's not something that happens. The kingdom of God doesn't happen when we die. The kingdom of God is something we enter into when we are born again. And citizenship in the kingdom of God

Kingdom Culture And True Holiness

SPEAKER_00 11:58

has certain privileges and responsibilities. A culture that is filled with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. The very air we breathe is filled with that. And there's going to come a day where holiness is going to be felt more and more because evil is going to be absent from the world. The absence of evil makes up a big, big, big portion of what holiness is. Holiness really is the presence of a person, but the presence of that person has no evil in them. So what they project in their life and in the kingdom that they are king of has no evil in it. The kingdom of God has no evil in it and doesn't allow for it. Just like people that develop computer chips don't allow certain things into their lab because it will contaminate their particular project that they're working on. Same thing goes with the kingdom of God. If we allow certain things to come in, they contaminate the culture of the kingdom. Well, that's not going to take place because the kingdom of God is stronger than the outside influences. The thing that is diminished is one's experience with the kingdom of God. And when evil is removed, the experience of the kingdom of God is felt on a different level because evil has a weight to it. It's not as weighty as glory, but evil has a weight to it. And when it's gone, we realize how heavy it was. Even the general sense of it in the air, it has a weight to it. And when it's gone, it's like having a back problem for years, and you don't realize it's gone until you realize it's not there anymore. And you realize, wow, that thing was heavy and hard and difficult. Same thing with sin and evil. It has a presence and has a weight to it, an unhealthy weight. The glory of God is weighty. His presence has weight to it, but it is liberating, it's powerful for those who are in the place of receiving it from Him. Hallelujah. There are things going on, folks, that are happening, as I said, all around the world. And those of you who are listening to this are hearing it because God has something in store for your life. And there's a nugget in here that you're going to be able to receive, take away, and implement into your life so that you can actually have it applied. And it will transform you from the inside out. It's not you doubling down and trying harder,

Surrender And The Kingdom Advancing

SPEAKER_00 14:39

it's an aspect of you submitting and surrendering and then following the word of the Lord, obeying it. Because it's become clear due to the fact that it's written on a tablet of your heart. On the inside. And God gives us direction from the inside. He speaks to us from the inside. And we are inside the king of God, so we have an inside track. And God has given us the ability to see things from a higher level. Because we are seated with Christ in heavenly places right now. And we're going to be there completely in the next age to come. But for now, we have a down payment, and that down payment is profound. It's significant. And we're learning just how significant and profound it is. And look out. Because the kingdom of God is advancing. And either get on board, get out of the way, or get run over. Because we are seeing things happening in this day, in this hour, that have never been seen before. And it's going to continue to increase. The presence of God is going to continue to increase more and more and more across the nations. And the glory of the Lord, the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Hallelujah. I pronounce that, declare that to be true, and I want to join with you in prayer right now. So we will invite God to do these things that we talked about to us and through us. And Father, we come do right now, in the holy name of Jesus. And we declare to you, Father, that your name is holy. The name of Jesus is holy. Spirit of God, you're holy. Holy Spirit. You're welcome in this place. On the lips of the Father, of mercy and grace, you are welcome in this place. You're welcome in our lives. And I ask that you would empower

Guided Prayer And Declaration

SPEAKER_00 16:42

each and every one of us to move forward in life. And that we would be able to at times yield ourselves over from being a somebody to being a nobody so someone else can emerge to an even greater place. And then we too can follow you as you lead us and guide us into the next phase of living that we have. Hallelujah. Lord, you're good. You're so good. You're so faithful, you're so true, and we honor you right now as God. And there are no isms or itis that we subscribe to, but you and the kingdom of God and your righteousness. Everything else will be added accordingly. But in the name of Jesus, we stand here firm and we declare these things to be true and real and desire them to be active in our lives. Thank you. We honor you and we look to see the results. Hallelujah. In the very name of Jesus, we stand here and we say amen, amen, and amen. Hallelujah, folks. We love you. And if you have any thoughts, questions, concerns, please feel free to drop us a line at LifeAroundTheFire at gmail.com. That's our email address. Or type in Life Around the Fire and look us up on the web. We'd love to hear from you. In the meantime, man, God bless you. Adios, amigos.