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:
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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
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