Leadership has been the big “buzz-word” for the church in America during the last dozen or so years, but exactly what is meant by real leadership?
Are you a good leader? Do you want to be? We have to ask ourselves whether we are being an agent of change or being manipulative and controlling. We have to ask ourselves if we are empowering people or scheming to get them to do what we want.
Servant Leaders are the managers and administers who do the hands-on work of the Lord! Servant Leadership is exercising real, godly leadership, as Christ did when He used a towel, and influencing, equipping, and empowering people to accomplish God's purpose and plan.
Our Expectations or God’s Characteristics” Leadership expectations of pastors and elders are often unrealistic and not centered on what leadership is really about. Too often people confuse...
Where there is no vision and revelation, the people will fail and have no restraint and perish to themselves; but blessed are the people who keep the law
Knowledge is being assured that what Christ did is relevant and impacting, and is a reality that must be accepted and committed to.
Love their Call is Passion, it means there is nothing better you would rather do than...
Paul was an extreme example of multiplying networks and energizing and influencing people for the Lord.
Learning is to learn and grow from the experience the Lord gives us so we are an example for His work!
Maturity is to know that our need is to be in Christ, and not to be to ourselves!
Perseverance is to continue in our state of grace so we live it out in our lives and walk with Christ to the end for our eternal reward!
Spunk is the willingness to take a risk and go beyond ourselves, our experience and knowledge and into what is best for the body of Christ!
No Fear of Failure is the ability to take a risk and keep the focus and attention on our call and obedience!
Followers is knowing that you cannot lead where you have not been, unless the leader is a good follower of the Lord they cannot lead others effectively!
The Disciplines
Is the center of our being, our mind, will and emotions to be focused on Christ and His will.
Fullness means we are filled with Christ and ruled by Christ. For a Christian, fullness is first seeking Christ and His work in us, so we are pursuing righteousness, and all that is good, as a way to glorify Christ as Lord. This means we are more Christ-aware and less self-aware. Fullness equals personally knowing for certain who we are in Christ, and what He did for us on the Cross—that our confidence comes from knowing who we are as complete in Him! As a result, we become more disciplined in His encompassing power and…
The Discipline of a Kingdom Mentality
A Kingdom Mentality means we are under the reign of God—past, present, and future! He is in charge of all things, sovereign in Heaven and in our will. He is our identity and our LORD. In contrast to Fullness, which means to be led and ruled by Christ and to allow Him to discipline and run our lives, the Kingdom Mentality is more about how we lead and manage our churches. As a discipline, this means we are to realize and “practice” our faith and church life “as if” He is The Sovereign Rule (well He is!), so that we are…
Gratitude means we are practicing and producing an attitude of Gratitude, of being thankful, even when we cannot see what we have. This is an aspect of our worship of Christ—expressing to Him our appreciation and reverence for how He has benefited our lives. We are grateful because His blood has redeemed us. This also has a relational application in that it helps us deal with others as we show our support, appreciation, and benevolence to them for how they have benefited our lives. As a discipline, this means we are to realize our indebtedness to God and…
Submission means having the willingness to voluntarily submit to Christ and also to others in authority. Thus, we make a commitment and resolve to yield our will, mind, and body for God's purposes so we can better hear, receive, and obey His Word. It is a call to submit and a Discipline because it takes our effort, even though we are not required to do so. When we are submitting to others, we are also submitting and serving Christ as Lord (Col. 3:23-24)! It is an aspect of the surrender of our lives to God so we are in His will…
Obedience is the practice of our pure loyalty to our Lord to go all out in faith. It helps us focus on Him and what He has done for us so we change from the inside out, our inward renovation becoming Christ-like to undergo His will, mind, and precepts. Obedience means having perfect confidence in Christ so we daily present ourselves to God as our LORD. We are essentially putting our faith into practice. We carefully seek what God requires of us and then align our lives with Him and His standards and call to the best of our…
Surrender means we trust our Lord Jesus Christ in all things without doubt or fault in our faith. We let go our hold on our perceived rights, agendas, and opinions that are not lined up to His. In this way, we can surrender to His love and embrace God's will for our lives, live His Way in holiness, and become a benefit to the lives of others. We come before God and under new management—His. The Discipline of Surrender is a discipline because we have to make it a daily decision and practice. It is something we…
Simply put, the Lectio Divina means to be praying in and with the Scriptures for understanding, worship, and intimacy in God's presence to benefit our faith, character, and spiritual growth. Thus, reading as a practice and a discipline means that as we read the Bible, we can and should be praying to our Lord, too. This combines two essential aspects of our Christian walk...
Asking me to write about Fasting is like asking a dog to walk on two legs. The dog can do it, but he cannot do it very long nor can he do it very well. I am a person who does not like to skip a meal, who thinks a good buffet is a good way to worship God because He bestows us with blessings. At the same time, I value the importance of Fasting. Having practiced Fasting off and on for many years—sometimes even dreading to start it and thankful when it was over—I learned a few things I wish to impart to you...
More Studies are on the way….