It takes all kinds of leaders with vastly different skill sets to successfully run a business, a government, or a religious organization through seemingly impossible situations.
I learned this from first-hand experience during my 36-year career at Procter & Gamble, where I served under eight CEOs.
As the company grew and underwent changes, CEOs with different skill sets were needed.
- Howard Morgens was my first CEO. He looked like anyone’s favorite grandpa, but he had a brilliant marketing mind and developed P&G into a marketing powerhouse.
- John Smale drove P&G’s international expansion and acquisition strategy. The company grew dramatically under his leadership.
- Ed Artz (aka The Prince of Darkness) led the organization during a trying financial time and made hard decisions to trim the fat needed to make the company more nimble and able to respond quickly to marketplace demands.
- John Pepper was beloved among employees because of his focus on leadership, customers, service, and values. He was just what the company needed to restore employee morale after the chaos of Artz.
Each man was an extraordinary leader who led through a seemingly impossible situation. They were the exact right men for the specific job at that particular time.
God has raised up leaders with just the right skill sets throughout history. Think about it. Where would we be without the leadership of Noah, Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Esther, Deborah, and Samuel as they are portrayed in the Old Testament?
Many more leaders of great strength and accomplishment are portrayed in the New Testament. One such leader rarely gets mentioned, yet the Christian church might never have grown beyond faithful Jews without his devotion to God.
Let me tell you his story.
The Situation
Jesus told the disciples they were to take the Gospel to the entire world in what is known as the Great Commission.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
It must have seemed like an impossible task to His disciples. It was one thing to teach fellow Jews about Jesus, but how would they take the Gospel message to Gentiles?
Who would listen to them? In those days, Jews weren’t even supposed to mix with Gentiles!
They had no idea God already had a plan to team up one of the disciples with an exceptional Gentile leader who would make it possible to spread the Gospel to the Gentile world.
The Solution
A few years after Jesus’ birth, the area of Judea became a Roman province. The coastal city of Caesarea replaced Jerusalem as the civilian and military capital. Because of the influx of Roman soldiers, Jews viewed Caesarea as a pagan city.
One of the Roman soldiers in Caesarea named Cornelius was a centurion, a commander of the prestigious Italian regiment (Acts 10:2). God picked Cornelius to team up with Peter to carry out the seemingly impossible mission of taking the Gospel to the Gentile world.
Why Cornelius Was Chosen
In the book of Acts, Luke describes seven character traits that made Cornelius uniquely qualified for this special assignment.
- Devout (Acts 10:2)
- Fears God (Acts 10:2,22, 35)
- Gave Alms (Acts 10:2, 4, 22, 31)
- Prayed Constantly (Acts 10:2, 4, 30, 31)
- Obedient (Acts 10:7-8, 33)
- Just (Acts 10:22, 35)
- Humble (Acts 10:25)
So, here is Cornelius, a rough, tough Roman soldier who follows God wholeheartedly. I have no doubt that as a Gentile believer, he was an oddity in Caesarea and certainly among the Roman soldiers. In many ways, he was probably a more devout follower of God than the Jews he lived amongst.
When Peter, the Jewish apostle, arrived in Caesarea and preached the Gospel with Cornelius, the Gentile believer standing beside him, everyone knew that what Peter was saying about the Gospel being for Jew and Gentile was true.
The result of the team of Peter and Cornelius was the divide between Jew and Gentile was bridged by the Gospel. Hundreds of Gentiles believed, the Holy Spirit descended on them, and they were baptized.
Are You an Extraordinary Leader?
Bridging the societal and cultural divide between Jew and Gentile was a seemingly impossible situation, but God knew exactly what kind of extraordinary leader was needed to make it happen.
The question for us as leaders today is, are we extraordinary leaders whose faith and character are such that God will call on us to lead through a seemingly impossible situation? Are we prayerful, devout men and women of God who are just, obedient, and humble like Cornelius? If so, prepare to be used in a mighty way because there are still impossible situations to resolve in this fallen world!
More Articles
I have written several articles on servant leadership recently. You can find them by typing “servant leadership” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are some of my favorites.
- #480: The Right Purpose Breeds the Right Passion in A Servant Leader
- #478: The Strongest Servant Leaders Are Also Adept Leader Makers
- #456: 8 Signs of A Courageous Christian Servant Leader
- #427: Powerful, Faithful Godly Leaders Embody These Two Traits
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do many leaders around you today exemplify the seven leadership traits that qualified Cornelius to be used by God?
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Category: Relationships | Servant Leadership
Your article made me think of President Zelensky in Ukraine. Talk about exemplary leadership!
You’re right, John. I’ve listened to a couple of Zelensky’s short speeches and they made me think of Regan and his resolve to confront the Soviet Union challenging them to tear down the Berlin Wall. If Zelensky hadn’t openly displayed his courage and determination I suspect Ukraine would have fallen by now.