Paul taught Timothy the ropes and requirements for leadership. In the two letters that he wrote to Timothy, Paul underlined necessary traits like character, calling, and commitment. Before Paul touched on these subjects he revealed the most important qualification for spiritual leadership – prayer.
We enable experiences and interactions that leave our people saying, “I love my church.”
So they’ll tell their friends, “You’ve got to come check out my church!”
Their friend’s come; we worship Jesus and preach the Gospel with excellence.
Their friends leave saying, “I really like this church.”
Their experience draws them to come back again and again until they say, “I love my church.”
And they tell their friends, “You’ve got to come check out my church.”
Elijah and Elisha were an inseparable duo. If you saw one, you saw the other. This wasn’t because of Elijah; it was because Elisha refused to let his elder out of his sight.
Do you have a mentor that you follow? Is there an elder in your life that you are learning from, and who is able to speak into your life? Having an Elijah nearby is of extreme importance.
Toward the end of Elijah’s travels on terra firma, he started to sense that his time was up. He began moving toward transition. It’s important for elders to recognize when they need to turn it over to their Elisha.
God led Elijah to Bethel, Jericho, and the Jordan River. Each of these places represents myriad teaching points.
I learned a leadership lesson through a joke I played on my Creative Arts team leader.
It was midday Saturday, and I sent him a text asking him to do what I thought was an impossible list of tasks. These would have to be done by Sunday.
I sent the request, expecting to hear a reply of exasperation. I would let him know I was joking. I was just trying to get his heart beating a little harder.
Constructive criticism is risky.
In one sense it is needful for the growth of any leader.
It also can hurt feelings.
I was having a conversation with a local professional last week. He asked me how my week was going. I told him that it was a normal week with my usual weekly rhythms. He asked me to explain what I meant by weekly rhythms.
Sunday is always coming.
That was my simple answer.
No matter what else is added to my schedule; there are things I do every week because Sunday is coming.
This is Part 9 of the Saturday Sermons series.
Main Point: This is a message about revival. What does it take to bring forth spiritual fruit? Is there a gimmick? A program? No – it takes a God connection. I don’t add a conclusion, every context is different: therefore, I leave the conclusion to you. Whatever aspect of revival needs focus should get the final push.
TEXT: GENESIS 30:14-23
It’s easy to overlook present blessings because of a tainted outlook on life.
We focus on what we don’t have, all the while forgetting the things that we do have.
Leah is a great example of this. She desperately wanted a relationship with her husband. She was focused on quantity time with Jacob. She forgot about the quality time they spent together.
4 verses, describe 4 years of fruitfulness in Leah’s life story.
Continue Reading…We all have blind spots.
That’s one reason we need to live in close community with other believers. We need to empower others to speak into our lives.
One of the craziest stories in the Bible has to be when a donkey talked to its master. Balaam had disobeyed God. Moreover, he led his beast down a path that was blocked by an Angel with a sword. This sword was meant for Balaam’s destruction.
The donkey saw what Balaam couldn’t see. The donkey tried to stop their perilous trajectory. He ultimately crushed Balaam’s leg against the cliff wall. Balaam beat the donkey for not continuing forward.
Balaam couldn’t see the angel. He had a blind spot.
The donkey began to talk to Balaam. Balaam talked back.
That’s funny.
