DGT Episode 365 - Formless Or Free - 48 Laws Of Power And The Cross Part 9

In Matthew 23, Jesus says “Wo” seven times.   He’s not speaking to a horse but rather to the Scribes and the Pharisees declaring that evil is upon them for things that they are doing.  Since they represent leaders of their time, condoned by religion, I think it’s appropriate for us to look at these seven “Woes” from Jesus and understand what exactly he’s desiring.   What is he really looking for from us?

Leadership needs rules but whose rules are we following?  Robert Green lists 48 laws of power in his 1998 work ,“The 48 Laws of Power”, and at the very end the last law he puts is “assume formlessness.”  Jesus Christ gives us a different way to rule.  He speaks about the cross and gives us the example of assuming the ultimate freedom.  But what’s the difference between leadership according to either of these rules?

In 1999 the book “The 48 laws of Power” emerged as an amazing example of the thinking of the world regarding leadership.   These 48 laws were rules that were taken from history about what made leaders great in the eyes of the world and what kept them in power.   But what happens when we hold them up to the law of the cross, the way Christ leads the world?   Today will look at law 32 and see the difference between fantasies and heaven.

Leading from our faith and in the light of faith has many advantages for leaders.  In particular Christian leaders are allowed to shine to give the best of themselves in unique ways without fear of incurring jealousy from their boss since their boss is Jesus Christ.  What would our world look like if we allowed those who worked for us and under our authority to shine in the same way?  In the seventh part of our series on the 48 laws of power we look at law 41.

In his book “The 48 Laws of Power”, author Robert Green says that people who desire power should play on people’s need to believe to create a cult like following.  This is very different from what Jesus Christ did and yet Jesus Christ arguably created the most powerful movement in human history.  Any Christian who’s exercising power today needs to understand the dynamics of people’s belief and imitate their master Jesus Christ who leads in truth.

Robert Green, the author of 48 Laws of Power, presents a challenge to us: how do we perceive leadership, what are the rules that we play by, how much do we really want to succeed, and what does success look like?  Jesus Christ gives us answers to these questions which are very different from the answers that Green comes to.  By comparing the two we better understand our vocation as leaders in Christ especially when it comes to how we deal with other people.

One of the most enigmatic phrases of our Lord is his command to the apostles to be as coy as serpent and simple as doves.  Anyone, however, who is in the realm of leadership knows the importance of this balance.  In the third law of power by Robert Green, Green insists that keeping power means hiding ones true intentions by being duplicitous.  Christ obviously intends something different from us.  He shows us an example of authenticity.

When it comes to leading something, we can’t avoid is that we leaders are in the limelight.  Being in the limelight means that what we do and say is often measured in a worldly standard.  How do we reconcile this with the importance in Christianity to be hidden, to look for the hidden things as the most important?  The teaching of Christ shines out brilliantly and contrast with Robert Green’s sixth law of power and this fourth part of our series I take a look at what he proposes in contrast with Christ.

All of us who lead are men and women of action and being men and women of action we’re responsible to create changes to make something out of nothing.  To change status quo into something new and doing this in a social setting means that we will often encounter competition.  How are Christians supposed to deal with competition?  In this third of our series of 10 on “The Rules of Power” by Robert Green we focus on law 15 where instead of loving our enemies he calls us to crush them.

In 1999 Robert Green published a book called the “48 Laws of Power”.  The book was a sensation.  It’s sold over 1 million copies and has been translated into over 25 languages.  At its root the book is practical.  This practical book gives 48 lessons from history on how to grab and keep power.  It’s a helpful example for Christians about both what not to do and what to understand about the way people’s minds work today.