Leaders Empowered to Engage

Leaders Empowered to Engage Who is a Leader? By my definition, a leader is a person who has the ability to influence people to change even when they are resistant to change Empowered; to make someone stronger and more confident for a specific task Engaged: The Art of Involvement MATHEW 28vs 16 20 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Back Ground: In relationships such as the corporate world or the married life, it is important to be clear on our expectations God made it very clear what He expects from us. Text: Let us read Ephesians 4:11-13. “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Keynote: It is the leadership’s job to prepare you, God’s people, for works of service. That is what God expects from us. How Prepared (Empowered) are we for Service? Why Me? The offices of the apostles and the prophets have already ceased to a certain extent. Ephesians 3:20 tell us that the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” We lay the foundation at the beginning of the construction of a building. So, being foundational, the apostles and the prophets were needed at the early stage of the church in its history. But today we are needed to carry the work. Brothers and sisters We usually think of Billy Graham or his son Franklin Graham when we hear the word “evangelist.” We think of people like them doing the work of evangelism. But looking at Ephesians 4:11-12 again, we see that the work of an evangelist is also “to prepare God’s people for works of service”. That means an evangelist also trains others to evangelize or share the Gospel. Note a very important principle in spiritual gifts So, even if God did not give us the gift of evangelism that is not an excuse for us not to share the Good News with others We are all responsible to bring people to Christ. Isaiah a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ. “The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Philip then led that government official to make a commitment for Christ. Isaiah a prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ. “The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.” Philip then led that government official to make a commitment for Christ. We are Strategically Placed God has strategically positioned where you are right now, whatever your sphere of influence may be, to share the Gospel there. You can start with befriending them, listening to them as they share their needs and assuring them of your prayers. You don’t have to preach to them. You can just talk about what the Lord has done in your life and the lessons you are learning from the Bible. You can also invite them to attend our worship service or any of our small groups or fellowships We don’t have to be too formal or technical about evangelism. We just have to make it our lifestyle to talk about the Lord 1. Engagement cannot be effective afore Empowerment My suggestions: There Is a Jesus-focus. Empowered people keep their focus on Jesus. It’s not on a preacher, not on a church, not on another person who professes to be a disciple of Jesus, not on one’s failures, and not even on the Bible. The focus is Jesus. When you study the lives of the first disciples, you discover that their strength came when their focus was Jesus When they changed their focus to the sins of others, to the Pharisees and Sadducees schemes, or to their own confusion or fear, their inner power failed The same happens to us. A lot of people get into trouble by comparing their faithfulness with that of another person. Or, we do that which disappoints us and we focus on our failure more than Jesus’ desire to forgive us. 2. Empowered People Have a Spirit of Reverence for Jesus. In our language, it’s a holy respect. It’s respect that causes us to yield to Him and His ways. You are aware that when Jesus taught His early disciples to pray that He said, early in the prayer, Hallowed be thy name. He taught the disciples to bow before God in reverence as they prayed. Worship isn’t a performance; it’s our hearts yielding to God, opening ourselves Folks, we minister in a society that people acclaim to be empowered but has no reverence. 3. Third Ingredient in Empowered Living Is a Grace Filled Spirit — a spirit that recognizes that by ourselves we can’t make it. We do well for a time, then stumble and fall. Grace-filled spirits are found in people who draw from the well that never runs dry — the well of God’s grace. “Churches spend enormous amounts of energy ‘being religious.’ They use committee meetings, goal-setting sessions, and volunteer time to care for their institutional maintenance and survival