And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:14

The glory of Jesus Christ is in his presentation of truth with grace. Truth without grace is dangerous. Truth without grace will eliminate most of the followers of Christ. Most Christians would not make the mark if God dealt with us based on only the truth. Let’s face it, how many Christians really do what the pastor tells them to do? How many Christians walk in love and forgive one another? If the church were to wipe out its mistake-laden members, most churches would be empty. King David described it well in Psalm 130:3.

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
Psalm 130:3

A good leader always combines a mixture of truth and grace when dealing with his followers. A mixture of truth and grace will allow some of your followers to straighten out and become great ministers. However, with some people, even the grace of God does not change them. I have many sons and daughters in the ministry who have turned out well after a mixture of grace and truth had been applied to their lives. Truth without grace would have eliminated many of the wonderful ministers and leaders who work with me today.

Four Examples on How to Use a Mixture of Grace and Truth
1. Jesus knew the truth about Judas but he mixed it with grace.
Jesus could have moved on Judas because he knew the truth, that Judas was a betrayer! Jesus allowed Judas to benefit from the grace of God. He mixed truth with grace to give Judas a chance but Judas ended up destroying himself.
I allow people to destroy themselves if that is their destiny. I am not in a hurry to prove anything. I believe that people will either straighten out or destroy themselves eventually. When people come to me with accusations against pastors I tell them, “If I confront this person, he will deny the accusation. I will just leave him to the grace of God and to time. If he is destined to destroy himself he will. If he is destined to straighten himself out, he will!”

2. Jesus knew the truth about Peter but he mixed it with grace.
Jesus knew that Peter was open to satanic and worldly influences but he still worked with him. Jesus did not disconnect from Peter.

But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Matthew 16:23

Jesus knew the truth about Peter––that he slept at prayer meetings. But the grace of God allowed Jesus to continue to work with Peter. Jesus overlooked Peter’s frailties.

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
Matthew 26:40

Jesus knew the truth about Peter. Jesus knew Peter would let him down but he still worked with him. Jesus did not disconnect himself from Peter. He forgave him.

Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.
John 13:38

Jesus knew the truth about Peter, that he would leave the ministry and backslide into secular work. After all the training that Peter had received, he abandoned the ministry and went back to fishing. Jesus did not change the plans he had for Peter.

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
John 21:2,3

All these bad things about Peter were true, but the glory of Christ is in the glory of truth presented with grace. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth. In the end, Peter turned out to be a great leader of the church. That is what truth mixed with grace can do.

3. Jesus knew the truth about Thomas but he mixed it with grace.
Thomas did not believe that Christ could rise from the dead. And Jesus knew it. The truth about this great apostle was that he did not believe in the resurrection. The grace of God gave Thomas another opportunity to become a believer. And he did. A mixture of grace and truth gave birth to another ardent follower.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
John 20:26-29

4. Jesus knew the truth about the ten disciples but he mixed it with grace.
Jesus knew the truth about his disciples. He knew that his disciples would desert him when he needed them the most.

…Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Matthew 26:56

Many of Jesus’ disciples went back to their secular jobs after Jesus left.

There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.
John 21:2,3

The grace of God made Jesus ignore the frailties, weaknesses and mistakes of his followers. He overlooked their faults and allowed his men to become mighty apostles. If you overlook the faults of your followers, work with them, and pray for them, you will bear more fruit.

Leadership Is the Art of Overlooking Faults
Leadership can also be described as the art of overlooking faults. It is almost impossible to effectively lead without intentionally overlooking faults, mistakes, and shortcomings of others. This is because God has called you to lead human beings and not angels. If God had called you to lead a group of angels you would not need to overlook any faults. I sometimes wonder why human beings find it so difficult to overlook the mistakes of others.

I thank the Lord for people who have accommodated and still accommodate my shortcomings. Many of the nice people I work with have faults. It is not that I don’t see their shortcomings, but I realize that I must give them many opportunities to grow out of that stage. If you cut off the hands of your child because he touched something you asked him not to, would he ever grow up to become a responsible citizen? By the time he is an adult, he would have neither arms nor legs because you would have amputated all his limbs for his numerous mistakes during childhood! A leader is someone who intentionally overlooks glaring faults and gives people the opportunity to become great.

Do not give up on the people you are investing in. See into the future and know that whatever you have sown will definitely be reaped. If you have spent time teaching and training people, they will grow up to be responsible leaders. If you have invested in the lives of people, it will definitely yield something. Do not be overwhelmed by the shortcomings of those you trust. Give it some time. A leader is a father. And every father believes that one day his son will become somebody great.

by Dag Heward-MIlls