Passing It On: Growing Your Future Leaders (25 page)

John 18:16
But Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the
girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

Waiting among strangers, perhaps Peter was thinking, “I do not care what happens to me. I am going to stay near my boss. I
cannot be with Him, but I am going to follow Him even though it is dangerous.”

Have your associates stayed with you when the whole country criticized you? Have people denounced your church as a cult? Did
your team stay with you when the media spread lies about you? Who came to the courtroom every day when you were prosecuted
or sued? Who went on record defending you? Did you have staff members who said, “I am still here. I am standing behind him.
I know him better than that. I still believe him, and I am sticking with him”? Who took a risk for you? Alternatively, did
everyone run away?

As a leader, you might face times when you will be disgraced or misunderstood. That is when many followers will forsake you.
Even the young people you have mentored will make themselves scarce, or worse, join your competitor’s camp. When you have
cleared your name and have regained your fame and fortune, some of these former associates will want to creep back into the
fold. You might forgive them and even accept them back on your terms, but they do not deserve to be successors.

Peter loved Jesus so much that he thinks, “I need to supply moral support. I need to be there.” Do you have aides who love
you like that? Peter knew that if he was caught, he could be killed. Yet, the story shows, he stayed within sight of Jesus.
I believe when Christ looked around in that courtroom and saw Peter in that corner He thought: “I have found a successor.
He is the only one here. All the other guys who talked so big are gone.”

The denial was love. Peter wanted to stay so badly that he lied out of love
. He says, “I am not one of them.” He said it because he wanted to stay. As Christians tell the story now, they really have
wronged Peter, making it seem as though he did an evil thing. I would say that the others, the ones who hid, did the evil
thing. They wanted to protect their own hides, not protect their leader.

Generations have accepted the belief that Peter failed, when in fact this one believer was the most qualified to succeed Jesus
because of this loving act. Churches teach that Peter was trying to distance himself from Jesus, but if he were, he would
not have risked waiting to be let in. That could have been another chance for him to run. Instead, he drew closer to the proceedings.
It would have been illogical for him to insist on staying after someone identified him. His actions say, “I don’t care what
you all say, or who you say I am, I am staying to be near my teacher. I want to know what you are doing to Him. I want Jesus
to know I am here for Him.”

It would seem that after placing himself in danger of being arrested by the temple guards by assaulting one with the sword,
Peter’s motivation for following Jesus was greater than his fear of losing his own life. It is my conviction that the motivation
that forced him to deny Jesus in order to stay close to the trial was his deep love for his Master.

When he denied Him, he was saying, “I don’t know the man, but let me stay with Him.” To the logical mind, this is a contradiction.
It says, “Because I do not know Him, I will stay close to Him. I want to see what you all are doing to this man.” The others
were the ones who denied Jesus. They were not even close enough to say they did not know Him. The fact that Peter had to say
it is proof that he loved Jesus and wanted to stay near Him.

After Peter’s third denial that he was associated with his Master, Jesus Christ, realizing that his motivation to remain with
Jesus conflicted with his
conscience because he had to fabricate a justification for staying close to his Master, he wept in deep remorse and personal
regret. I do not believe that Peter wept because he desired to stay close. I believe he wept because of the justification
he used to stay close to his Master.

This was not out of character for Peter. He was always the one stepping up. He was the one who told Jesus he would never leave
Him.

Luke 22:33
But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

Those are very strong words, and the only disciple who ever said them was Peter. John had wanted to sit on His right, James
on His left. They wanted to be as great as Jesus was, but Peter wanted to protect his leader’s greatness. Peter told Jesus
he was prepared to die for Him, and Jesus knew Peter was the next leader.

Peter had shown great faith on a different occasion. As some of the disciples were out on the sea in a boat, Christ came across
the water toward them. After they spotted Jesus, only Peter was brave enough to step out in faith to join Him. All the others
were afraid to walk on water. Only Peter asked, in effect, “Master, is that You? Can I come?” As soon as Jesus told him to
come, Peter started walking. As the Bible describes it:

Matthew 14:26–29
When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But
Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to
come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

Only when he let fear take hold did he begin to sink, but Jesus caught him and got him back to the boat. Notice though that
Peter’s first instinct had
been to believe and obey Jesus. He seems to think, “Well, if the Master says I can walk on water, then I can. I am just going
to step out on the sea.” He was always the one thinking, “I am going to believe my Master. I am going to stay with my Master.”
What an amazing man he must have been!

Peter also had been first to recognize and identify this strange, young rabbi as the Messiah. You may recall this story:

Luke 9:18–20
Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They
replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back
to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”

Matthew also gives this account:

Matthew 16:15–16
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Peter recognized Jesus’ greatness. Peter knew He was the Messiah. Peter saw Him for who He really was.

When Jesus was ready to announce a succession plan, He surely remembered all of these things. He called the whole board together
for a final meeting. He is resurrected by this time and is about to identify His successor.

He has His associates gather, and He has to announce a decision. He is about to decide who is going to be in charge of an
organization that would eventually serve two billion believers at one time. It would be a global company
with a global product—salvation—and Jesus would essentially direct the sales and distribution team to, “Go to all the world
and take my product.” He was about to turn over billions and billions and billions of people, souls, and resources to one
top leader. He is about to turn over a defined earthly assignment to a flesh-and-blood human. That is a big decision. Who
is the one?

First, look at
how
Jesus chose. Does He ask Simon Peter, “Are you famous? Are you intelligent? Do you have good personality? Are you competent?
Do you have skills? What expertise do you bring? Do you have experience? Do you love my vision? Do you want my power? Do you
value my mission?” Does He inquire about Peter’s academic achievements, his references, or his style of management? Does Jesus
ask Peter how well he gets along with the other associates? Does Jesus even ask how many converts Peter has brought into the
fold or how many miracles he has performed?

Jesus is about to transfer the greatest organization in history. Is His criteria: “Are you highly educated? Do you have the
academic credentials? Are you an effective, strategic planner? Do you have what it takes to be a chief executive officer?”

No! Jesus asks, “Do you love me?”

That is it. That is the test. Jesus asks this three times (again, see John 21:15–17), and Peter must be thinking, “How can
Jesus even ask such a question? I proved myself a long time ago. I stayed near the courtroom when I could have gone to prison
myself. I am the one who could have gotten my head cut off by slicing off that man’s ear. Even before that, I was the one
who could have drowned trying to walk on water. He knows I love Him.”

Peter loved Jesus more than the others did. He had passed the test. He was in charge. Jesus turned over the keys to him.

Did Peter have flaws? Of course. Was he brash? Sure. Impulsive? Yes. Hard to control? Certainly. Yet Jesus saw the quality
He needed in this particular servant: love.

The criteria used by Jesus for choosing His student Peter to take over His global vision was not Peter’s intellect, his personality,
his experience, his contacts, his management ability, his wisdom, or his achievements. Although all of these are very valuable
and helpful for all leaders, Jesus used the simple criterion, “Do you love me?” This criterion challenges all the theories
used
in the leadership training and development industry and sets a new standard for mentoring a successor.

Perhaps leaders today should study the wisdom of this great leader and apply His principles for longevity of vision and His
criterion for choosing a successor.

The instruction Jesus gave to the chosen successor to oversee the ongoing work of His global vision—“Feed my sheep”—was also
important. In the days Jesus lived on earth, many other “rabbis,” or master teachers who were founders of schools of thought
and institutes of learning, were also active. Their students were called simply disciples. Therefore, it is essential to know
that Jesus was the founder of the amazing school that taught a vision of global expansion of the influence of the heavenly
kingdom of God on earth. In other words, His vision was the colonization of earth by the Kingdom of Heaven. This was a massive
vision and required the training of humankind to understand and implement this vision in succeeding generations.

Jesus in John 21:15–17 uses the metaphor of “sheep” to describe His entire school of students—disciples. Drawing on an image
often invoked in the Scriptures, Jesus saw Himself as the “shepherd,” or teaching guide of His school. He had built this school
to become well-respected and influential in the community and nation. Thousands followed His school from city to city, and
many joined His institute. Now He is about to leave and decides to turn over His entire organization—the human resources,
reputation, credit, and goodwill to the one He had chosen, Peter. That must have been a defining moment for Jesus, Peter,
and all the other students. The transfer that day was the greatest lesson in mentoring and succession in history. It was God
transferring a heavenly vision to an earthly man. Peter passed the test and exhibited the qualification for succession: love.

Peter loved the church because that is what Jesus loved, and Jesus knew this was the person to protect it.

Matthew 16:18
“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

When it comes time for you to choose a successor, do you know if any one of your associates could pass the test? Do you know
if any of them loves you? Are they jiving, playing games to get a position, and jockeying for power? As a leader, you know
the schemes. You recognize commitment. You know who is serious about working with you. You know whether your staff members
are working for money or for love. Which of your staff members would you leave in charge? Who loves you?

Do you know what motivates the people around you? I know which people around me are motivated by love. They check on things
in my life that only someone who loves me will check. When I am coming home from a long trip, they will cook something for
me and bring it to the house. They say, “This is for pastor. I know he is tired, and no one has had time to cook.” That is
love. To think that far ahead is love.

Look for people like that. Choose such people for your leadership team. Do not get experts. Get lovers. You want people around
you who will protect you and love you. You want people who will love and protect what you love. When it comes time for succession,
you will not have to ask, “Do you love me?” You will have seen love in action.

Peter proved his love for Jesus many times, even to the point of risking his own life.

Peter loved what Jesus loved.

Love is the most important credential for a successor.

M
Y MOTHER CALLED
me at work one day some years ago and asked, “Can you come right now?”

“Mom, I am working,” I replied. “I cannot do that.”

She insisted, so I left work and went to see her.

When my mom wanted to talk, she would beckon me to her bed. She said, “Sit here.” As I did, she continued, “Son, you know
I do not know how long I am going to live. I do not know what is going to happen. Your daddy and I are talking about the future
and about what is going to happen with your younger sister. I have some money here, some savings.”

I found out some things I never knew. She had savings under the mattress.