Enduring Leadership - Week 5. Freely you have received

Because God made us all in His own image, we all are leaders. Jesus
lived and taught Servant Leadership. This is not an option for the
Disciple of Jesus, it is the only option. Our service, good example
and deliberate goals for empowering others, are potent tools for
positive influence.

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Week 5. Freely you have received
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Objective: Participants will understand the benefits of having an
empowered inner circle and will draw up goals for empowering others.

Key Terms: Servant Leadership, Empower

Biblical example: Jesus and His disciples. Luke 9:1-2; Acts 6:2-3

(Luke 9:1-2)- "Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave
them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He
sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."

(Acts 6:2-3)- "Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples
and said, 'It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God
and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven
men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we
may appoint over this business."

Mathew 10:8 - Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have
leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Leaders live with the end in mind. What will people say at your
funeral? The things they say will depend on how you live today and the
legacy you live. A leader's lasting value therefore is measured both
by success and succession (e.g. Moses- Joshua). The cycle of
leadership is only complete once continuity is assured.

It is not enough to;
• Lift up leadership lids;
• Seek to influence others through your example and service;
• Set goals and accomplish them;
• Live a life of integrity.

A leader will seek to ensure that these values and skills are passed
on to others through the process of empowerment. Empowerment should
be a deliberate well though out (and covered by prayer) process. The
process of building disciples is the central theme in the charge Jesus
gives to us, His disciples.

Mathew 28:19 - "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit…"

Empowering others, which can be translated to making disciples of
Jesus, is therefore a requirement not an option for all leaders. Do
you have a plan for empowering those in your sphere of influence?

As John Maxwell says; "only secure leaders, give power to others."
Delegating is risky business and it is human to want to always be in
control. As a leader however, you need to provide your followers with
the necessary tools and training to help increase their confidence and
ability to lead.

Remember, a true leader is always thinking of how to add value to
others especially to those closest to him. We see this play out in the
relationship between our Savior and His disciples. He sought to build
those closest to Him, always teaching them something new, showing them
how it is done (the law of picture) and providing them the
opportunities to exercise what they had learned.

A leaders potential is determined by those closest to him. If you long
for your ministry to accomplish more, build leaders and strengthen
those in your inner circle for when your strength fails they will take
over. In Exodus 18:17-27 Jethro introduces the principle of delegation
and empowerment to Moses. "And Moses' father-in-law said to him, 'The
thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both
yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy
for you; you cannot do it alone."

Why Leaders Fail to Develop People:

1. They realize that equipping people is hard work.
2. They are insecure or have a poor self-image.
3. They feel they are the only one that is qualified to do it.
4. They don't trust others.
5. They have bad habits and an unbiblical perspective.
6. They have a low belief in people.
7. They don't know how to train others.
8. It is easier to lead followers than leaders.

Different responsibilities require different competence and as leaders
we need to be careful about whom we select for the specific
responsibilities of leadership. In this case, we will need to follow
the pattern laid down by the apostles. They had specific
qualifications in mind for the leaders they wanted chosing men. Acts
6: 2-5 "So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said,
"It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of
God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men
from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We
will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention
to prayer and the ministry of the word." This proposal pleased the
whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy
Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas
from Antioch, a convert to Judaism."

1. Known from their sphere of influence – "seek out from among you."
2. Fellow believers – "brothers."
3. People who could serve on a team – "seven men."
4. Trusted among the people – "of good reputation."
5. Empowered for the task – "full of the Holy Spirit."
6. Competent and intelligent – "full of... wisdom."
7. Responsible – "whom we may appoint over this business."


The Development/Empowerment Process:

1. I do it while you watch. People do what people see. Model the
integrity, dedication to success, spiritual commitment and the
practice of spiritual disciplines. Give what you want.
2. We do it together. Take them along with you to your preaching or
teaching. Get them involved. Let them take risks together with you.
3. You do it while I watch. This is an opportunity to observe and
prepare positive critique if required but also encouragement. It may
also help you identify development areas.
4. We evaluate. Work together to evaluate performance. The goal of
evaluation is to seek to recognize the efforts made and encourage it.
It can also be a moment of correcting mistakes in love while showing.
5. Ask them to empower others. This is what I am asking you to do.


Assignment:

Congratulations on completing this 5 weeks training course on
leadership that endures.
1. Take a moment to write down how this has impacted your life in the
space provided below:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Write down the names of some people starting with those in your
inner circle, that you would like to empower over the next 12 months.
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Have you learned something new? Email us - forteh@gmail.com

Enduring Leadership - Week 4. Integrity as a Foundation

Because God made us all in His own image, we all are leaders. Jesus
lived and taught Servant Leadership. This is not an option for the
Disciple of Jesus, it is the only option. Our service, good example
and deliberate goals for empowering others, are potent tools for
positive influence.

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Week 4. Integrity as a Foundation
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Objective: Participants will review their actions and set proactive
goals for building a lifestyle of Integrity.

Key Terms: Integrity, Stewardship, Truth, discipline.

Biblical example: Jesus – Mathew 5:8 ; 2 Corinthians 8: 21
Mathew - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Cor- For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes
of the Lord but also in
the eyes of man.

Trust is the foundation of leadership. As leaders, husbands, parents,
colleagues, pastors etc., we are faced with choices everyday. Some
choices are easier to make than others. A Servant Leader's greatest
aspiration is to be a true disciple of Jesus. He is our perfect
example of Integrity. Though tempted in every way, He never failed.
He had a firm foundation when He walked the Earth as a Human Being.
History abounds with instances of failed leadership due to the lack of
integrity (e.g. Bernard Lawrence "Bernie" Madoff ) resulting in great
loss including human life. Bernie Madoff ran one of the largest Ponzi
schemes in American history and rid investors of $17 billion in
assets, according to court documents. Like a virus, mistrust spread
through communities, affecting many people who were not directly
touched by the Ponzi scheme. Ultimately, Madoff hurt the American
economy as a whole and is now serving a 150-year prison sentence. His
son Mark committed suicide by hanging exactly two years after his
father's arrest.

The world is experiencing a revolution in ideas which can be traced
back to the ideas promoted by Post Modernism. One of the main issues
promoted by Postmodernism is the relativity of truth. Truth is no
longer an absolute but relative as perceived by proponents of the
theory. Society is redefining morality while demoting rather than
promoting man. The values being sold on TV have little or no moral
value but somehow, in this Post Modern age if you do not agree to the
ideologies promoted you are labeled as the enemy ( a bigot). The
Bible however reminds us Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He
is absolute truth and we can look to Him for the definition of what
truth is in our marriages and other leadership contexts. As a leader,
you need to consistently sow into your "Trust Bank". Those small
actions can either make or break you.

A. How did Jesus overcome temptation?

After being baptized Jesus went into a fast in the wilderness and was
tempted by the Devil in 3 areas. They can be broadly categorized
under:

1. Pride- "If you are the son of God..."
2. Lust - "I will give you..."
3. Power – "Turn these stones into bread"

In all three instances, Jesus responded with the Word of God. He had
the big picture in mind. He also had divine backing. How often do we
only want to read what we like rather than reading the whole of
scripture? These three areas represent the three areas the enemy still
tries to tempt the disciples of Jesus in. It seems as if the advent of
the Prosperity Gospel, has made it easier to tempt this generation.
These three areas have been the stumbling stone for many leaders over
the centuries. Will you be different? Let us examine our hearts
honestly before the Holy Spirit.

Answer the following questions honestly:
a. Do you have issues with pride? Do you seek to be seen by men? Do
you get angry or sad when others perform better than you? Do you feel
you are better than others? Do you always try to justify yourself? Do
you generally think your opinion is the most important?

b. Do you invite members of the opposite to be with you alone? Do you
see God as provider? Can you sacrifice anything for money? Do you
think of other women/men as more beautiful than your spouse? Do you
comment on the beauty of the opposite sex, where-as you find it
difficult to tell your spouse how beautiful they are? Can you be
trusted with money? Do you owe anyone and despite your promises you
have not yet paid back? Are you incorruptible?

c. Do you like to be served? Do seek to always impose your will on
others? In what ways do you serve your family, church, team? Are you
approachable?
The basic foundation of leadership is the leader's character. You may
have made mistakes in the past but praise the Lord we can repent and
commit ourselves to the same values held by our savior. Because there
is such a law as the law of Magnetism (Who you are, is who you
attract), or birds of the same feather flock together etc., if you sow
integrity as a leader, you will reap integrity.

B. Steps towards building a solid foundation of trust.

1. Pre-determine your values. Write them somewhere as a reminder. What
are your values as a Christian and a leader? Please write some now.
You can complete the list later.
2. Be proactive and develop a plan for managing temptations in the
area of Money, Women, Pride and Power. Being prepared is winning the
battle in advance.
3. Draw up a plan for developing personal intimacy with God and to
develop habits of personal devotion. Some activities need to go. The
activities you involve yourself in during your leisure time, may come
back to hunt you. Are you spending too much time on the Internet,
reading news or watching movies? How is this affecting your time with
the Lord, your family and His people?
4. Engage in renewing your mind and behavior to reflect God's image.
God's image refers to reason, personality, intellect, capacity to
relate, to hear, see and speak. He also chose you to be His kingdom
agent, to rule over and subdue the rest of creation including satanic
forces. Your sexual morality, handling money, power and position,
should reflect your being salt and light. This will be achieved
through your personal discipline as you remain humble (relying on
God), a visionary (setting goals) and "convictional" (always doing
right). No one else can bear your responsibility. Without me (Jesus)
you can do nothing. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you
shall bear much fruit (John 15).

5. Develop habits of a good steward. Everything you possess is from
God. He expects you to manage, invest and use them wisely. Think about
your people, time, finance in stewardship terms. What would you change
in terms of how you mange these? You need to be an effective steward
of time ("…Redeeming the time..." Eph 5:16) for the sake of God's
Kingdom. Attached is what I wrote down as a resolution in 2008 after
taking a similar course. Read it carefully then draw your own plan for
stewardship.

6. Seek to restore wholeness to your family and local church for the
advancement of the Kingdom. As a leader bless your family and add
value to each member. Honor your wife and model (the law of picture),
submission and service rather than retaliating at each opportunity.
Develop a winning partnership with her. Discern the uniqueness in your
children and work with them to build them up as servant leaders in
their own right. Let your gifts (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor
and teacher) bless your family and the local church.

7. Expand your horizon to apply Kingdom values to the marketplace,
society and the environment. Display an attitude of gratitude, self
control and trust in God for provision. Be honest, a good repent-er,
promoter of excellence in the marketing place and an atmosphere of
peace and harmony applying Kingdom values no matter where you find
yourself.

8. Craft a plan for continuous evaluation of your personal growth in
the Lord. This will keep you humble. Humility will keep you on the
path of integrity.
It is possible to build lasting fruits of integrity. Let your yes be
yes. Again, be reminded, "Trust Is the Foundation of Leadership". Are
you worthy of trust (Proverbs 12:22- 22 The LORD detests lying lips,
but he delights in people who are trustworthy)? Have you burned some
bridges? You now have the opportunity to regain trust. Transformation
from start from within and the Holy spirit is willing to help you.

Some Quotes:
"It is true that integrity alone won't make you a leader, but without
integrity you will never be one." Zig Ziglar

"Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the
rest." – SETH GODIN

Integrity gives you real freedom because you have nothing to fear
since you have nothing to hide. Zig Ziglar

Assignment:
Design your plan for building a solid foundation (integrity) and self
discipline, based on the 8 points discussed above.
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Philippians 4: 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is
lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy—think about such things.