What makes strategic leadership powerful in the Kingdom of God is when a leader functions under the heavenly mandate. That leader sees what God sees. Then that leader clearly communicates God’s vision for others. This causes gifts and callings to come together and form an unstoppable team. Jesus produced an unstoppable team. He connected them to God’s vision for the kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. He taught them to work under the power of the kingdom, pray kingdom prayers, preach kingdom messages, and do kingdom work. He taught them kingdom warfare and sent them into all the world to build kingdom communities who in turn would continue the heavenly vision that Jesus gave to those first disciples. Jesus was strategic in every sense of the definition of the word.

You see strategic leaders who know how to develop strategic teams. They can see gifts and callings in others even before they see it in themselves. Jesus could see what God had created Peter to be. He knew that he was to be a fisher of men. Jesus knew that Peter would have to take giant risks for the Kingdom of God and even suffer. Jesus prepared Peter to be the best so he could endure the worst.

Strategic leaders know how to draw men and women into a level of commitment that can only be lived out in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus commanded them to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations but not without first requiring them to be endued with power from heaven. Jesus lead people to an upper room and tell them to wait there. When they have accomplished surrender He filled them.

My friends, a heavenly vision needs a heavenly team! On behalf of the board of Firstlight thank you for your strategic partnering to advance the kingdom.

~ Tony Foster