Following Christ into Radical Surrender demands a Love for
Leadership
How is everyone doing on our Deep Dive Challenge? We are one week
in, we have one week left. How many read their Bible every day this week? How
many read your Bible more than you normally do this week?
We are finishing up talking about the sequence of characteristics
that define someone who is following Christ in radical surrender. We have
talked about having a love and a passion for the church, worship, telling
others about Christ, and Scripture. Next week we will look at having a secure
and confident identity in Christ. But today, we are looking at the topic of
leadership. Specifically Christian Leadership.
Christian Leadership is Servant Leadership. My hope is that every
one of you is developing into a Servant Leader both now and for life. There are
2 parts to that; Servant and Leader. Both are seen in Christ.
John 13:1-17 (Jesus washes the disciples feet, Servant Leadership)
To truly lead others, you must first be a servant. The whole
purpose of this study is that we are examining what it means to FOLLOW Christ
into Radical SURRENDER! Those words frighten some people. But the Christian
life is one of humility and learning to be submissive to God. Jesus was a
leader who moved men to change the world, and here we find Him taking on the
lower position of their culture in order to serve them. And what is His
instruction to them and to us? Do likewise. Serve. Get your hands dirty. People
are always going to have needs, and if you want to ever being considered as a
leader, then you must first make it your priority to meet their needs. People
can be messed up, cruel, creepy, and bitter toward you and life. Serve them
anyway. Figure out how you can make their experience in this world better, and
then do something about it. This is the heart of missions, which is the heart
of Christ.
Only after mastering that first part can you ever consider yourself
a leader as our culture defines it. Leadership is influence. If you are
wondering how effective you are as a leader, simply look around this room. How
many Sunday nights have you sat here in this loft? How many other people are
sitting in here tonight because of your influence in their life? Every one of
us walked into Pulse for the first time because of the influence of someone
inviting us or just being so excited about what God is doing in their life that
you wanted to experience it for yourself. But the true measure of leadership is
in the amount of people who have followed you in these doors. How many people
can say that they are more in love with God because you are a part of their life?
That is Servant Leadership.
Ultimately, a Servant Leader will see a need and take the
initiative to get that need met. Who is someone in your life that you wish
could experience God more? What are some needs that you see you parents have,
or your friends have, and how can you meet those needs? When you think of the
perfect ministry, what types of things do you think of? What do you wish we
were doing that we aren’t? What are some ways that we can make Pulse better
each week? How can you get involved to make things better? These are the
questions that a Servant Leader asks.
I want everyone to break into groups of 4, and ask these questions
together. Make a list, but then ask each other how you can be a part of the
solution.
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