TAKING LEADERSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Transcription

1 5/10/14 Ps Brian Heath TAKING LEADERSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL We need a specific type f church t really make a difference in ur wrld. NEHEMIAH 2:11-20: S I came t Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arse in the night, I and few men near me; I tld n ne what my Gd had put in my heart t d at Jerusalem; nr was there any animal with me, except the ne n which I rde. And when I went ut by night thrugh the Valley Gate t the Serpent Well and the Refuse Gate, and viewed the wall f Jerusalem which were brken dwn and its gate which were burned with fire. Then I went n t the Funtain Gate and t the King s Pl, but there was n rm fr the animal under me t pass. S I went in the night by the valley, and viewed the wall; then I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and s returned. And the fficials did nt knw where I had gne r what I had dne; I had nt yet tld the Jews, the priests, the nbles, the fficial, r the thers wh did the wrk. Then I said t them, `Yu see the distress that we are in, hw Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Cme and let us build the wall f Jerusalem, that we may n lnger be a reprach. And I tld them f the hand f my Gd which had been gd upn me, and als f the king s wrds that he had spken t me. S they said, `Let us rise up and build. Then they set their hands t this gd wrk. But when Sanballat the Hrnite, Tbiah the Ammnite fficial, and Gesham the Arab heard f it, they laughed at us and despised us, and said, `What is this thing that yu are ding? Will yu rebel against the king? S I answered them, and said t them, `The Gd f heaven Himself will prsper us; therefre we His servants will arise and build, but yu have n heritage r right r memrial in Jerusalem. The walls, pillars and fundatins f the natin are being undermined by the philsphies f the day. One f the critical issues is the state f leadership. A generatin f leaders with a different heart needs t rise. e.g. Nehemiah in his day. We need t be the Nehemiahs f the day by taking ur leadership t the next level. Hw shuld we respnd? What s needed t take yur leadership t the next level? 1. We need t understand and accept ur assignment. Knw what yur jb is. The clearer we see ur assignment, the clearer we can say what it is t peple, the mre effective we will be. Nt understanding ur assignment rbs the pwer and the dynamics frm ur faith. It makes us settle fr less. We have a crprate assignment: T rebuild the city. T bring the gspel t the city. T re-lay the fundatin f faith in sciety. T build the pillar f a great natin.

2 The mre we can see it, and entertain that thught, the better we will be. E.g. The Missin Impssible TV and film series: Yur missin shuld yu accept it this message will self-destruct in 30 secnds. Knwing yur assignment clearly empwers yu t fulfil it. Our assignment is nt always clear until the need becmes bvius E.g. NEHEMIAH 2: 11 What d yu see happening in the natin? Our new name City Builders Church reflects ur mandate: ur next generatin f sns and daughters can be builders f a great natin under Gd. We are t bring the pwer f Gd back int the church as we accept ur assignment. Gd prvides the resurces, s apprehend the assignment He s given. 2. Be able t rise t the ccasin. Many peple dn t accept their Gd given assignment and can fail t live t their ptential because f limitatins that they put n themselves - i.e. We dn t accept because we think we can t d it. Mses was reluctant in his respnse. EXODUS 4:10: Then Mses said t the LORD, O my Lrd, I am nt elquent, neither befre nr since Yu have spken t Yur servant; but I am slw f speech and slw f tngue. Jeremiah was als a reluctant leader. JEREMIAH 1:6-7: Then said I: Ah, Lrd Gd! Behld, I cannt speak, fr I am a yuth. But the Lrd said t me: D nt say, I am a yuth, Fr yu shall g t all t whm I send yu, and whatever I cmmand yu, yu shall speak. Each generatin and every crisis needs men and wmen wh will set aside their persnal limitatins and rise. Pssible cnstraining factrs: I can t instead f I will. The prevailing mentalities f the day. ROMANS 12:3: Fr I say, thrugh the grace given t me, t everyne wh is amng yu, nt t think f himself mre highly than he ught t think, but t think sberly, as Gd has dealt t each ne a measure f faith. Fears and self-dubts. Survival mentalities. The everyday demands f life. Limited resurces. We need t realise that when ur adversary, the devil, seems t be having his way, Gd is abut t mve. ISAIAH 59:19-60:3: S shall they fear the name f the Lrd frm the west, and His glry frm the rising f the sun; when the enemy cmes in like a fld, The Spirit f the Lrd will lift up a standard against him. The Redeemer will cme t Zin, And t thse wh turn frm transgressin in Jacb, Says the Lrd. As fr Me, says the Lrd, this is My cvenant with them: My Spirit wh is upn yu, and My wrds which I have put in yur muth, shall nt depart frm yur muth, nr frm the muth f yur descendants, nr frm the muth f yur descendants' descendants, says the Lrd, frm this time and frevermre. Arise, shine; fr yur light has cme! And the glry f the Lrd is risen upn yu. Fr behld, the darkness shall cver the earth, and deep darkness the peple; But

3 the Lrd will arise ver yu, and His glry will be seen upn yu. The Gentiles shall cme t yur light, and kings t the brightness f yur rising. This seems t be what s happening nw. Gd will always make His grace available fr peple t rise, shine and be the answer. Gd has put yu in a place t change it. We need t mve frm saying I can t t I will. Mve frm being in a survival mde. We need t be s cnnected t Gd that we have the answer. 3. Cntinually lk fr His vice. The best way t take ur relatinship t the next level is t develp a lifestyle f cntinually lking fr His vice. Learn t live under the vice f Gd. Lk fr His guidance, directin and inspiratin and becme a great leader. The best leaders hear the vice f Gd. We need t be tuned t His vice. This is the mst dynamic frm f leadership. There is safety in finding Gd s vice. Be available fr His vice. The vice f Gd: Apprehends us. It captures ur attentin. Mves us and directs us. Makes a way fr us. It s like a bulldzer, pening everything up s thers can fllw. E.g. Mses and the Red Sea. The vice f the Lrd prepares us fr the future. 4. Cntinually wrk with Gd t see Christ frmed in us. Gd wants t change us internally. His wrd, nature and ways are being frmed in us. 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18: But we all, with unveiled face, behlding as in a mirrr the glry f the Lrd, are being transfrmed int the same image frm glry t glry, just as by the Spirit f the Lrd. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:18: While we d nt lk at the things which are seen, but at the things which are nt seen. Fr the things which are seen are temprary, but the things which are nt seen are eternal. Start t make way fr Him. Learn t think like Him, have ur thughts line up. Be gverned by Him. We can speak fr Him because Christ is frmed in us. COLOSSIANS 1:27: Paul said: T them Gd willed t make knwn what are the riches f the glry f this mystery amng the Gentiles: which is Christ in yu, the hpe f glry. Listening t the wrng vice and building ur lives n the wrng philsphies can hinder the frming f Christ in ur lives. Fear can shut this life dwn. We can learn t be gverned by the Life f Christ in us.

4 5. Have well-established kingdm pririties. His primary assignment fr this part f my life will always line-up with His kingdm pririties. We can t separate them. MATTHEW 6.33: But seek first the kingdm f Gd and His righteusness, and all these things shall be added t yu. Strng, dynamic Christianity is the result f well-established kingdm principles. Our number ne pririty shuld be serve Him. It will be reflected in ur day-t-day lives: Our devtin. Our service. Our cmmitment t the Huse f Gd. Our cmmitment t the transfrmatin f the cmmunity. The way we raise ur families. Our genersity. Our testimny t the cmmunity. We need a revelatin f the kingdm s that we can serve well. 6. Make sure yu becme the best yu. I heard it nce said, What yu are is Gd s gift t yu. What yu make f yurself is yur gift t Gd. It is an hnurable desire t becme the best yu can be. David led with integrity and skill. PSALM 78:71: Frm fllwing the ewes that had yung He brught him, t shepherd Jacb His peple, and Israel His inheritance. We need character and skill. It is nt wrng t aim t be the best as lng as ur mtivatin and pririties are all set. I encurage ur yung nes t d well, study hard, wrk hard, save and invest. Be the best yu can be. This is Gd s way. 7. A clse walk with Jesus. Our relatinship with Jesus is the basis f true leadership. We can be gd, but withut Gd, ur leadership is limited. Cmmunity Bible Study questins: Describe the need fr leadership in ur wrld tday. Describe Nehemiah s respnse t the need f his day. (NEHEMIAH 2:11) Hw imprtant is it t understand and accept yur assignment? Describe what yu understand abut the purpse City Builders church What can we d t make that assignment a successful missin? What are sme f the limiting factrs that hinder peple frm rising t their best? D any f these relate t yu? What is the imprtance f lking fr His Vice? Hw d yu see Jesus ding this?

5 What d yu think it means t have Christ frmed in yu? Hw des this happen? What des it mean t have well established Kingdm pririties? What are sme f the things that get in the way? What are the tw areas f being a great leader that David demnstrated? (Read PSALM 78:71) What can yu d t imprve yur leadership? True spiritual leadership cmes ut f ur relatinship with Jesus. Discuss.