Our Mission 

To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.     

Matthew 5.1-3 observes, when Jesus saw His ministry drawing huge crowds, He climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to Him, the committed, climbed with Him. Arriving at a quiet place, He sat down and taught His climbing companions. This is what He said: “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and His rule. MSG

Do you long to be with Jesus? Have you apprenticed yourself to Him? Have you paid to learn from Him, to be with Him, near Him, in order to serve Him? Are you practicing His works to master His ways so that you are easily identified as one of His, having been with Him?

Where is Jesus? Taking the hill. He climbs so we must also climb with Him. He takes the hill to draw near to God, to separate from the masses in order to teach and work among the masses. Ultimately, the hill Jesus took, is the hill that took His life so that we might live. As He carried the cross up the hill, so we must take up our cross. Dying to self in order to do the will of God through us as He died to self to do the will of the Father through Him.

Climbing with Jesus is to lose ourselves so that more of Him can be manifested in us and through us in order to draw all men to Him. As the Holy Spirit worked through Him to do God’s will and to draw men to God’s will so too the Holy Spirit is to work in us and through us to lift Jesus up so that He might draw all men to Himself.

The world doesn't need a better me it needs more of Him, more God and God’s ways. Are we committed to Jesus? Then we must climb with Jesus. The commitment is evidenced in the climb. The climb is the denial of ourselves in order for Jesus to shine in us and through us to accomplish His work by us.

Our Opportunities

1. CBMC welcomes The Global Leadership Summit. Your team needs encouragement and instruction from some of the world’s finest leaders. You have access to this rich resource through the global leadership summit. Learn more here then contact Mike for a special discount code for you and your team!
   
   
2. Mark your calendars for July 21. The first CBMC live luncheon event, since the Covid shutdown, is scheduled for that day! Pray now for the unchurched men you want God to bring into His kingdom, then register here for this luncheon so they can hear God’s call to be reconciled to Him through Jesus the Savior.

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

June 28, 2021 

Who Comes First – The Leader or The Followers?

by Robert J. Tamasy 

Perspective. It makes a tremendous difference in how we approach life in many ways. If you view life from an optimistic perspective, you can usually find positives in even difficult circumstances. However, if you take on a pessimistic outlook, even good things that happen can be viewed with cynicism and anxiety. It is like the person who woke up one morning and thought, “Well, everything has gone well so far today. But I have not gotten out of bed yet.” 

From a leadership standpoint, perspective also can have a strong effect on how we approach our daily responsibilities. If leaders view themselves as “the boss,” with everyone reporting to them obligated to perform their bidding, this can affect morale, productivity, respect, and even the ability to retain workers who are important to the organization’s success. There is a very different perspective a leader can possess, one that has served many executives and managers very well. 

Max De Pree, a respected businessman and author of acclaimed books on leadership, “How do you as a leader see yourself? You know, from the follower’s perspective, it is vitally important that a leader have a self-perception faithful to reality. Leaders belong to their followers. A director should refer to employees as ‘the people I serve.’ What a different reality that is! And what a different effect on followers.” 

Can you see how the approach De Pree describes differs from an “I am the boss” view in which employees – followers – are perceived as servants? Certainly there have been many domineering, hard-charging executives who have coerced productivity from their people. But what a difference it would make if more leaders saw their staffs as “the people I serve.” 

This concept, popularly known as “servant leadership,” is not new. While it may not be the primary emphasis for most MBA programs, it is an idea that has been utilized with great effectiveness for thousands of years. Even the Bible underscores its importance, with none other than Jesus Christ making it a high priority. Here are several examples of what the Scriptures teach: 

The best leaders come to serve. True greatness, from God’s perspective, is not based upon position or power, but the willingness to put others first. “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. 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” (Mark 10:45). 

True leadership follows a different standard. In some circles, leadership is perceived as the ability to dominate and control. But there is another way: “…The kings of the Gentiles lord is over them…. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves…. But I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:25-27). 

Leadership involves mutual submission. Subordinates obviously must report and serve those who have authority over them. However, leaders also should strive to guide those they oversee. “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ…. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism in Him” (Ephesians 6:5-9). 

© 2021. Robert J. Tamasy is the author of Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart (coauthored with Ken Johnson); and The Heart of Mentoring (coauthored with David A. Stoddard). Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

June 28, 2021 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. What other examples can you think of that show how perspectives can make a significant difference in how a person approaches his or her life and work? 

2. When you hear the word, “leader,” what thoughts immediately come to your mind? Do you have positive or negative conceptions of what leaders are, especially in terms of how we typically see them in action? 

3. Max De Pree stated, “Leaders belong to their followers.” What do you think he meant when he said that? How common is this perspective in today’s marketplace, based upon your own observations and experiences? 

4. Based on what you’ve read in this “Monday Manna,” what steps could you take in becoming a better and more effective leader – or future leader? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 28:2; Matthew 20:20-28; John 13:3-17; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 3:17,23 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com