CHRISTIAN LIVING/ LEADERSHIP Discipleship Ministry The Living Word Christian Fellowship

“Where the rubber meets the road…” The first 2 lessons were on theology.  Of course it affects real life.  Of course it can be applied.  Of course we become better people by these lessons.  But meant as foundational knowledge. The remaining 2 are on practical applications.  Real life situations  Down to earth.  The nature of them are actual applications.

COURSE OUTLINE/OBJECTIVE WHY? Is our life so important. We will be going through each characteristic of a Christian Leader/Minister. We will discuss each of the topics. Encourage inputs. This program is a designed as to prepare you for the work of ministry.

GOD PICKS HIS MAN(WOMAN) According to his pleasure & own purpose. God doesn’t call the equipped, rather he equips those he calls.  Moses couldn’t talk right  Solomon was too young WRONG: “I have these qualifications, I’ll be good for this position.” Come as you are” V.S. “you are not it”.

WHOLE HEARTED SERVICE= WORSHIP= ministry Everything can be an act of worship/service if it’s done with all your heart. Service is Ministry God looks at the heart of the matter  Honors the janitor & pastor the same  Holds pastor more accountable. Do not be eager for aspire to positions.

Promotion/Position comes from the LORD PSALMS 75 5Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. 6For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

YOU LEAD BY SIMPLY LIVING By the way you live, you lead believers and non- believers alike.  How do you lead believers? You become a standard for younger believers. They interpret Christ’s teachings from your actions. “It’s better for a millstone to be tied to your neck, than if you cause these little ones to stumble.”  How do you lead non-believers? They base their picture of Christ by what you paint for them. They interpret Christ’s teachings from your actions. “the name of the lord is blasphemed by the pagans because of you”. CHARACTER SPEECH DEAL WITH OTHERS ACT AND REACT

YOU LEAD BY SIMPLY LIVING (cont.) Cursed because of you. (Rom 2:24) Praised because of you.(1 Pet 2:12) You claim to know him but you deny him with your actions. (Titus 1:16) You are a reflection (accurate or not) of the group you belong to. Others see you that way.  Caring what people think V.S Caring what people think.  ROM14  STUMBLING OTHERS

QUALIFICATIONS OF OVERSEERS 1 Timothy 3 Qualifications of Overseers Qualifications of Church Officers 1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop,[a] he desires a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober- minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money,[b] but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5(for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); 6not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Qualifications of Deacons 8Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, 9holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. 10But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. 11Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

QUALIFICATIONS OF OVERSEERS (cont.) Titus 1:7-9 (New International Version) 7Since an overseer is entrusted with God's work, he must be blameless–not overbearing, not quick tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. God picks the person, (sometimes through other leaders Ex 17:9/Deut 1:13) but the person must be faithful in the position being filled.

BURDEN OF LEADERSHIP TO MUCH IS GIVEN MUCH IS REQUIRED.

MUST BE CALLED IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS FOR THE WRONG JOB, THEN IT BECOMES THE WRONG TOOL. THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE CALLED WHO DON’T DO WELL, BUT THOSE WHO ARE NOT CALLED NEVER DO WELL. (Saul) WHY?

“FIRST THING IS LAST…” THE SERVANT LEADER JESUS BECAME A SERVANT OF ALL (PHP2:7) MUST BE LAST TO BE FIRST  Matt 19:30/ MK 10:31 MUST SERVE THOSE UNDER THEM  Matt 20:26 MUST BE WILLING TO SUBMIT.  To God (James 4:7)  To those over you (Heb 13-17)

BY EXAMPLE THE STANDARD I SET FOR MYSELF IS THE STANDARD I SET FOR THOSE WHO FOLLOW ME. “a group of people is like a piece of spaghetti, you can push it – you must pull it.” Gen. G. Patton.

WISDOM Why is wisdom important? Solomon asked for wisdom above all things. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.  JOB 5:  JOB 8: 3-7  JOB 11:10-15  JOB 42: 7-9 God speaks to Job’s Friends.

WISDOM (cont) WISDOM IS: Knowing your place.  “I was taught to always be a leader”.  You must have the capacity for both, and the wisdom to know which one to use. HEB 13:17 TITUS 3:1 What you can change V.S. What is IN God’s hands.

MATURITY Christians mature in different rates. Maturity is not an “outside” measurement. * 1SAMUEL 16:17  just because it looks cooked on the outside…  You will have to see outside evidence. (Matt 7:20) s

A LEADER IS NOT A LEADER IF HE/SHE IS NOT LEADING ANYONE. Colin Powell: “the day soldiers stop giving you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. Because it’s either they know you cannot help them or you don’t care. Both are a failure in leadership.”

KNOWLEDGE “My people perish for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6) “It is not good to have zeal without knowledge”. (Prov 19:2) That’s why we have this discipleship ministry.  Theology Lessons  Practical Lessons

DISCIPLINE A person without discipline cannot hope to aspire to leadership because he has not first conquered himself (herself).  Prov 17:27  James 3:8  Php 4:11 (The things I should do, I don’t do)

CHARACTER INTEGRITY HONEST HUMILITY

“WORKS WELL WITH OTHERS” All things to all men. (1 Cor 9:22) Swift to listen, slow to speak, slow to wrath. (James 1;19)

LOVE Love is the fulfillment of the law. “…yet not have love, I have nothing”  Rom 13:10  Matt 22:37  1Cor13:13

THE MINDSET OF A CHRISTIAN LEADER/MINISTER MUST NEVER THINK YOU ARE INDESPENSIBLE. (God doesn’t need me)  Prov 18:22 My highest goal must be to please HIM. (Gal 1:10) Must be all things to all men. Must understand that everything comes from God.  He gives and takes away.  This is his ministry  His goals are first