Jesus The Grand Strategist (Redited)

Strategy definition: a set of action steps that have the highest probability of taking you and your ministry to a desired destination (goal). 

When God created the world, He knew Adam and Eve would fall to sin. He also knew that sin would lead to the fall of mankind, which would separate mankind from a relationship with God. Action was needed to redeem those relationships.

So Jesus came at exactly the right moment, living a perfect life and preparing just the right men to lead the church. Then He made exactly the right sacrifice required to free everyone from sin, and rose again to overcome death once and for all. Only after His work was complete did Jesus ascend back into Heaven, giving us His Holy Spirit to guide us.

Jesus had a master strategy that was unfathomable until after it was already done. Throughout His life, He was 10 steps ahead of the game. 

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus knew the strategy. Scripture shows that there were times when Jesus would reveal future elements of the strategy. One example of this is when He informed His disciples that He would be killed, and they would be scattered and deny Him. He revealed just enough to alert them that they should be prepared for some serious turbulence.

One thing to note is that when Peter says he won’t let this happen to Jesus, Jesus responds by saying, “Get behind Me satan”. Jesus knew that the end goal – the promised land – could not be reached without first fulfilling the crucial step of His death. Peter expressed his desire to save Jesus without realizing that doing so would thwart everything Jesus had planned since the beginning of the world. Jesus knew the full strategy, but his disciples only glimpsed parts of each step.

It’s time for us to stop thinking about just the next move, and become ministry strategists like Jesus – planning five or even ten moves ahead. Once you understand strategy, you will begin to see how everything else falls into place – marketing, discipleship, outreach, sermons, digital work, etc.

This is why we’ve made our first section focus on strategy. 

Thanks for joining me in this video, I look forward to seeing you in our next lesson.

Video Script From GPT:

Title: Jesus as a Master Strategist in Ministry

Introduction: Welcome back to our video series on strategic thinking in ministry. In this episode, we’ll explore Jesus as a master strategist and the importance of developing a clear strategy for your ministry, just like Jesus did.

Defining Strategy:

• A strategy is a set of action steps that have the highest probability of taking you and your ministry to a desired destination (goal).

Jesus’ Master Strategy:

• Before God created the universe, He knew the challenges humanity would face and had a plan in place to redeem our relationship with Him.
• Jesus came at the perfect time, prepared the right disciples, and lived the perfect life so he was then capable of making the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity.
• Throughout His life, Jesus was always multiple steps ahead, with a strategy that was only fully understood after it was completed.
• Below you will find a list of 10 Bible verses that reveal that Jesus was fully aware of the strategy that he intended to play out, resulting in the salvation of humanity.

Jesus Knew the Strategy:

• Jesus revealed parts of the strategy to His disciples, preparing them for the challenges ahead.
• When Peter tried to prevent Jesus’ death, Jesus recognized that this would interfere with the overall strategy and rebuked him.
• Jesus knew the full strategy, while His disciples only saw parts of each step.

Becoming Ministry Strategists:

• We should learn from Jesus and develop strategies that plan multiple steps ahead.
• By understanding and implementing strategy, other aspects of ministry such as marketing, discipleship, outreach, sermons, and digital work will fall into place.
• This is why our first section focuses on strategy.

Thank you for joining me in this video. I hope you now have a better understanding of the importance of strategic thinking in ministry and the role it played in Jesus’ life. I look forward to seeing you in our next lesson, where we’ll continue exploring the power of strategy in ministry. See you there!

1. Matthew 16:21 (NIV) From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
2. Mark 10:45 (NIV) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
3. John 10:17-18 (NIV) The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.
4. John 12:32-33 (NIV) And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.
5. Luke 9:22 (NIV) And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
6. John 3:14-15 (NIV) Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
7. Matthew 26:28 (NIV) This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
8. John 14:2-3 (NIV) My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
9. John 17:24 (NIV) Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
10. Matthew 20:18-19 (NIV) “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day, he will be raised to life!”

Have you ever thought of Jesus as a master strategist? Let’s discuss it in the comments!