the man who knows how to wait

"Maybe the best definition of the leader is the man who knows how to wait. During the waiting he learns to lead by prayer. He deepens his love for people and his hold on the throne of grace. He becomes the man in touch with God and the man who understands people."

Jack Miller, The Heart of a Servant Leader, p.209

How parables work (RT France)

Parables...attract attention by their pictorial or paradoxical language, and at the same time their indirect approach serves to tease and provoke the hearer. It would be possible to hear a parable as no more than an interesting story or a striking bon mot, and entirely to miss the point. Parables offer images and riddles which we must work out for ourselves if we are to understand and respond. Parabolic teaching is not given on a plate. It demands perception and careful thought, and it challenges to appropriate action.

RT France, Divine Government, SPCK, p.30

How Jesus pursued his mission

"He did not set out to aggressively recruit followers by overwhelming power or manipulation; rather, he humbly acknowledged that God's prevenient elective, predestinatory choice (his 'drawing' or 'giving' people to Jesus) was required for his ministry to be successful (or, better, effective)."

Andreas Kostenberger, A Theology of John's Gospel and Letters, p.247

Renouncing privilege and power for mere persuasion

Acts 28:30,31 is

"a marvellous conclusion to the earliest recorded history of the church. Whether intended or not, Luke strikes the twin themes of the church's story throughout the best moments of its history: the willing renunciation of earthly privilege and power (Paul is at the mercy of the Roman court) combined with a happy reliance on mere persuasion to advance Christ's cause. The modern church, especially in the West, would do well to remember this winning combination. Christ does not require political, legal, or military power to achieve his purposes. He simply asks for a people willing to suffer and persuade (in the power of the Spirit)."

John Dickson, A Doubter's Guide to the Bible, p.180