What is more important?
To have success in the World?
or Follow Jesus.
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JESUS: "Nice" Shepherd or Good Shepherd?
I am the good shepherd,
and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring,
and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."
John 10:14-16
Nice Shepherd? Jesus was NOT the "Nice" Shepherd. He IS the
GOOD Shepherd.
He's not indecisive. He knows what He's doing and where He's taking you. He doesn't mince words. The power of Life is in His words. He has all the angels of Heaven at His command but He doesn't need them because He IS LIFE. He uses the Shepherd's Staff to guide with grace, and knows how to use the Shepherd's Rod to correct and protect. He doesn't back down when confronted. He defends those whom He loves with His Life. ... Don't get Him angry.
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GOOD LEADERSHIP
The Body of Christ needs good leaders who
are devoted to seeing the Love of Christ moving freely in and through the hearts of every individual and family that walks through the church doors.
And why should leadership have such devotion? Is it for political fame in the Christian Society? Is it for vocational success within the world?
Is it just a job that has fallen upon them because no-one else wants to do it?
No. It's because a good leader sees their own life in that same Body, and deeply desires to see it to the fullest -- in Christ (John 10:10b).
But even though we can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13), ... we will be have our greatest victories, when we stand together in His Love.
The job of leadership
(which includes one or more pastors) is to keep in unison a local body of believers
and guide them towards the destiny that God has called that body of believers to accomplish in the area and time where God has placed them.
(A better explanation is found in
Ephesians 4:12-32)
Church leadership is not, can not and must not be a one-man show.
Nor is church leadership a democracy. Both of those conditions are frameworks where our pride so easily allows the subtle working
of the
Jezebel
and Ahab demonic spirits
(among others) to crepe in and choke off the prophetic anointing
that should be flowing in every body of believers.
The Church doesn't need strong-headed leaders, nor does it need "nice" leaders.
The Church Needs Good Leaders:
- Leaders who are truly strong in humility and the Fear of the Lord.
- Leaders who are constantly yielding to the Holy Spirit.
- Leaders who are Teachable and willing to stand corrected.
- Leaders who have put away their aspirations of climbing the Corporate Christian ladder of success.
-
Leaders who have gained strength through humility, honor through obedience, and seek first the Kingdom of God (and not their own kingdom/agenda).
- Leaders who are willing to work WITH each other (meaning not just in a brief preaching and prayer).
- Leaders who are willing to work WITH leaders from other churches.
- Leaders who are willing to work as a team, because their recognition is truly in the Lord and not in the eyes of men.
- Leaders who are not tainted because of their gender, age, social status or even their education.
- Leaders who are NOT Genderless, but Gender-full:
Meaning that they are NOT polarized (by the Jezebel spirit),
nor neutralized (by the ahab spirit).
but are those who fully know and example the power of Christ as a man or woman.
- Leaders who are NOT "Nice", but are GOOD. (The best leader is one who is the best follower of Christ).
- Leaders who are humble servants
Ephesians 4:2
- Leaders who are always willing to stand corrected
because they are attentive with open ears to hear and open eyes to see
what the Holy Spirit is saying, and where He is leading.
-
Leaders who walk through the doors of their church seeking to truly love their neighbor as themselves, and daily choose to serve The Lord their God
as much as Christ has served us -- with humility and with His very Life.
John 13:34-35
-
Leaders who are devoted to prepare, build and maintain a functional church (not dysfunctional)
because they see themselves walking through the same church doors as everyone else
Romans 12:3
- (Please Note: This list is not comprehensive, and has room to grow!)
Good church leadership is constantly involved in discovering, developing, nurturing and utilizing God's gifts within
everyone in the body
(including themselves). Because it is in Christ, that we, together, find our true character. It is in Him that we, together, find healing and
wholeness. It is in Him that we, together, find True Love and the Truth that makes us Free and able to live Life to the fullest.
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Jesus is not dead and still hanging on the Cross. He is the Resurrected and LIVING Messiah, and HIS KINGDOM is at hand -- our hand -- on earth as it is in Heaven.
We can sit in church and feel God's love as much as we want,
but the world will not know it until they see it through our actions - inside and outside of the church walls.
A big house is not what makes a good home.
If our goal is only about the number of members in our church club,
then all we need to do is to keep finding more ways to keep ourselves entertained.
For some, this might be a hard pill to swallow...
Here's the general prescription for QUALITY growth in the church:
- Instead of a pastor "owning" the local church, a Biblical 5-fold leadership team needs to be established with multiple pastors and teachers.
(Suggestion: the pastors and teachers rotate in service duties and also visit other churches to stay in tune
and connect with what is happening in other local bodies in the entire Body Of Christ).
- The 5-fold leadership TEAM maps out and begins to implement a discipleship plan similar to the the four grounds described in the parable of the Sower and the Seed.
(Note: You can get some ideas from this Get Truly Free Website tool and then create a customized plan that best benefits the signature that the Holy Spirit reveals for your particular church/body of believers).
- If there is controversy or a hard decision to make,
it should ultimately be resolved by the apostolic minister with confirmation from the Prophet.
As much as possible, the entire body would be strengthened by seeking the Lord together through prayer and fasting. In the World, this type of transparancy, might weeken most companies, but because true the family of God is not based on fear but on the Truth, The strength of the body would actually accelerate.
of course wisdom must be applied and depending on the issue, discretion should always be applied, but we should not be concerned about appearances. Instead of worrying about "losing face", we should be falling on our face before the Cross.
The more you are transparent, the more honest you have to be - if you are truly a good leader, that shouldn't be a problem.
- Of course, the Apostolic minister and prophet will have to orchestrate what spiritual warfare is necessary before any outreach begins.
- DISCIPLESHIP = Mentoring! -- NOT just more teaching.
Grow from the inside out: Keeping the focus on the quality of those believers both individually AND as a family of families growing closer with each other and with Jesus.
- Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6) - NOT forgetting our "elder brothers" of Israel.
The Western church needs to grow deeper in it's Jewish roots, and begins to observe the feasts of the Lord more seriously
(Example: Communion will have much greater meaning).
- As God is Creative, expect He will reveal new ideas and strategies for growing together in His Love.
- Allow, encourage and nurture the gifts of the Holy Spirit to flow more freely.
If demons start acting up... Good! Expose them, cast them out and train the congregation in the process.
- Once the "house" is in order with prayer and fasting,
it's time to gear-up the evangelist team and set them loose to pierce the territories that the Holy Spirit has identified.
A good foundation, seems to take longer at the beginning, but without it the house will not stand.
Only when it has a solid support structure, wil a local Body of believers be ready for the numbers to increase solidly.
Even if your numbers don't accelerate, your favor with the Lord will. And it will be hard NOT to bear much fruit,
just as a strong light in the darkness is hard not to be attracted to!
Who are we?
... and who are we following?
Every believer is a king and a priest
(
Revelation 1:6)
and only Jesus the Messiah, is our KING of kings.
And as we gather together as His flock, it is Jesus Christ who is our Shepherd.
Leadership does not take the place of Christ, but are those among us that help us stay
focused and following Christ.
Hopefully, the Holy Spirit has already been giving you ideas on how to implement a new strategy for growing stronger at your church. If you would like more help putting this into practice in your group or church, checkout our Workshops...
in
the website:
GetTrulyFree.com
