I hope you found encouragement in my last post, YOUR LEADERSHIP VOICE AND THE HOLY SPIRIT to find your leadership voice and also be open to the Holy Spirit’s desire to stretch you. There are some valuable leadership lessons you can glean from Jesus in his early days of ministry.
Category Archives: Prayer
Your Leadership Voice and the Holy Spirit
As a leader who wants to successfully reach the next generation of young people with the Gospel, you may find yourself in a start-up situation with your church or mission organization.
NAME REALITY: WHAT’S YOUR “LEADERSHIP VOICE?”
Some of us are more natural “starters” and others are more natural maintainers or menders. That is reality. But if I could submit, from a discipleship perspective whether you are more of a pioneer-type on one end of the spectrum of leadership, or a guardian on the other end of the spectrum, we all need to be open to the Holy Spirit’s desires for our ministry. (As a side note, here is a link to take a really cool, free assessment looking at the 5 Voices of leadership: pioneer, creative, connector, nurturer, guardian).
HOW TO REMAIN CONTENT WHEN YOU FEEL TRAPPED? JOSEPH’S LEADERSHIP LESSON (GENESIS 39-45)
As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.
C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
Joseph is a model of humility. He had much to hang his head about, but instead, he kept his eyes on God and therefore experienced contentment that is truly other-worldly considering his circumstances.
“The Lord was with Joseph…” – Genesis 39:2
Joseph was faithful to God and used his gifts wherever he was placed. He had lofty aspirations for sure, but where God placed him he was faithful and focused. Unjustly, Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers and then sold as a slave to traveling merchants. Yet even as a slave in Egypt he was faithful to God. He used his gifts to bless Pharaoh’s house and government with excellence and gratitude for the opportunity to serve.
Then there was another dip in his story.
Empowerment: 8 Ways You Can Increase Someone’s Potential
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up… – Ephesians 4:11-12
LEADERSHIP IS ABOUT EMPOWERMENT: BUILDING SOMEONE ELSE UP
Jesus spent most of his time building up Peter, James, and John. Three guys. And the rest of his time was primarily invested in building up the other eight disciples. Then the crowds got a little bit of his time too as he spread seeds of the Gospel extravagantly up on the masses. Things happen in a person’s life when they have someone intentionally trying to build them up. Empowerment is God’s design.